A Knight's Prophecy
by stealyourfood
Summary: Medievalish (I didn't do world building I'm sorry) and crack-ish Knight!Maki fic. NicoMaki and hints of other... ships... T for things between the lines.
1. Chapter 1: A Knight's Prophecy

based off dinostrology . tumblr post / 121680352215 / princesses-gemini-virgo-libra-pisces-knights

AN: I know, I know, I'm supposed to continue Ice and Stone but I have defected to another gay singing fandom. I still love Negitoro and writing negitoro but this hell has utterly consumed me.

Also, this is rather... crack and crap. I wrote it on a whim at 2 am, like I usually do.

I apologize for the inactivity and I hope that none of you feel offended by this poor attempt to create a story.

NicoMaki and hinted... other ships.

* * *

A Knight's Prophecy

* * *

Rumour has it that there was a princess with hair as bright as summer's rays, eyes as blue as the ocean, trapped in a tower in a castle guarded by a ferocious black fire breathing dragon. The princess sent out letters requesting for help, and those seeking wealth, honour, a bride, fame, or just wanted to gain acknowledgement went forth, either to slay the beast or to rescue the princess.

And few return unscathed. Some died, of course. But those who return alive claim that the huge dragon attacks them the moment they step near the castle, its ferocious roar sending a good half of them scuttling off. The dragon has then been known for its good eyesight, ferocity, and cunningness, since it constantly stole cattle from nearby farms without being noticed at all.

* * *

And in a certain kingdom, there lived a noble family who have served as knights for many years. Regardless of the gender, every member has been an excellent fighter, defender, guardian. And now, the Nishikino crest was currently left in the hands of the only descendant - Nishikino Maki. The Nishikinos have a speciality; other than being excellent sword masters, they are also a little hard to get along with and talk back without restraint. And all of them have red hair, in different shades. And throughout many generations, the fiery red had not dulled.

Nishikino Maki however, resented the fact that she was born to be a knight. While she excelled at slicing, stabbing, and utterly decimating every single practice target or the occasional practice partner, she liked to sing and play all sorts of instruments more than anything. She would sneak away to the top of the mountain to gaze at the plentiful stars filling up the vast sky and strumming whatever instrument she had or just humming a made-up tune.

But in the daytime, she patrolled the streets, making sure that everything was safe, and apart from the usual gamblers squabbling, there was hardly any unrest in the kingdom. She went through years of training and education to stroll in the streets and glare at people. Great. Maybe they should have let her know how the real world was like.

And this time,she strode along the street as usual, her left hand resting on her sword handle just in case. It wasn't necessary for her to draw her weapon, but _just in case_. And also, she had always imagined herself drawing the sword in a cool/cute manner. Nishikino Maki the daring knight. Nishikino Maki the angelic knight. Which was better? Her thoughts were broken when an angry yell burst from the alley.

"You cheated, you!" "That's too many times you've won, you whore!"

A nervous laugh was heard before the other angry gamblers continued their insults. Maki sighed. It was the same thing, some good gamblers would win and the others would cry foul and start a short-lived verbal spat. She was about to ignore it but a smash was heard and she drew her sword upon the sound of shattered glass.

As usual, her instincts were on the dot. A clearly drunk and furious sore loser had broken a glass bottle and was about to attack the winner with it. A few others grabbed whatever they could find, the rest unable to do anything.

Someone holding a long wooden stake rushed towards the winner who was wearing a hood, but Maki's sword sliced cleanly through the wood, stopping an inch before the man's knuckles.

"That's a little hasty, don't you think." She smirked, and the man dropped the stump and left, running into his companions, who jerked back and followed suit upon seeing the bright blade.

The drunk man growled and unlike the others, charged forward instead of retreating. Maki crouched down and dealt a low kick, sweeping him from behind his ankles, causing him to crash and land on the ground, the shattered glass now stabbing his face.

He howled in pain, and Maki glanced at the retreating figures, stepping harshly on the drunkard's back. "Assault, drunkenness, and to top it off, a stupid attempt at attacking me." She grinded her heel on the howling man, and turned to look at the winner, who bowed in gratitude. Maki glanced to make sure no damage was done, before waving the winner off.

"That one always wins. You know that." She grunted. It was always the the one with the hood or the one with that weird moustache. It was always the weird ones.

The man growled and Maki sighed, wondering how she would get him to the constables. He cursed and she slapped his neck with a chop, knocking him out.

She was tired of all of this. She had made up her mind.

* * *

"I want to be a bard." Maki confessed to her mother, aware that the ringing clang of metal against metal and shouts were unpleasing to her ears, and it would be nice to have a change for once.

"You what?" Her mother sighed. "Your father will be back soon. We want the best for you, even though we think differently. You should speak to him, Maki." She loved her daughter so much, but knew that her emotions would overcome her rational thinking. Her husband was one who could separate his feelings from judgement.

"I am aware of that. I just want to know if you support me." A door closed.

"Support you of what?" Papa Nishikino entered, placing his broadsword on it's usual holder.

Mama Nishikino looked at both of them uncertainly, already taking a step back as Maki took a breath

"I want to be a bard."

* * *

After 2 hours of discussions, a speech, and several proposals, Maki had not reached a consensus with her family, who believed that she was 'too young' and 'too naive' about the dangers of the world.

"If you travel, who's going to protect you?" She mimicked her father's nagging, as she took the path straight towards the notorious castle.

The biggest bad out there was currently the dragon. Save the princess without dying, and she would shut her parents up. Thinking about it just made her angrier and angrier. Who did her parents think she was? A kid? Sure, Santa acknowledged that by giving her gifts every Christmas, but she was growing and she could defeat the whole guard team. The whole ROYAL guard team.

"Urgh." She scowled as she hastened her pace, her frustration growing with each passing minute. She had never lost a match. She even defeated her father with a single wooden sword when she was 7. It was a fair match. Santa had praised her for that in his letter, and at least he displayed some recognition.

She huffed and marched on in an allegro pace, the weight of her armour not slowing her down. She would find that castle (done), get the stupid princess and maybe defeat that deplorable dragon.

* * *

The Dragon reared its scaled head sleepily, and darted out from behind the castle. It flapped its black (but clean) wings, and the breeze from that action ruffled Maki's hair.

Maki either didn't notice it or didn't care, simply tucking her hair back into position, and the Dragon was furious. Ignoring the famous and feared Dragon! Ridiculous!

The Dragon knew that those the Dragon killed (mostly accidentally) were those who belittled the Dragon and ignored the Dragon. But the Dragon didn't really like to kill. Blood was hard to clean up and if you think that humans were actually tasty, the Dragon would be obliged to give you a lecture on the unappetizing taste of human meat. In fact, the Dragon took a liking to grilled meat now because of various circumstances. But now was not the time. Now was the time to put on the best show the Dragon could.

The Dragon snorted and let out the most impressive roar the Dragon could summon.

Left, right, left, right; Maki continued without flinching, her polished boots pressing into the stone path.

The Dragon exhaled and two long grey streams of smoke came out from the Dragon's snout, diffusing in front of the knight.

The red head still stormed forward, and the Dragon was getting irritated. This Knight was so indifferent, it annoyed the Dragon. Time for the show-stopper. They either fought or fled at this point.

The Dragon let out a jet of fire, intentionally missing the knight as a warning.

Maki either loved being almost barbecued or could no longer care, her steps set in a rhythm that the Dragon was catching on to.

The Dragon swooped down, another spew of fire aiming for Maki. Maki just stepped aside, climbing the rocks that blocked out the fire like arpeggios.

The Dragon extended the Dragon's smooth but obviously dangerous claws, eager to cut into the knight.

Maki displayed amazing footwork, dodging and swerving to the entrance of the castle like how she ran her fingers over the lute.

The Dragon agitatedly flew in after the knight, aware that few had simply walked in like that. And none had charged in without being singed. The tempo of the knight had not stopped, and it seemed to be gradually increasing.

Maki muttered under her breath about annoyingly unnecessary hindrances and looked up to locate the tower (and the annoying dragon)

The Dragon felt extremely bothered for an unknown reason, and roared again, landing opposite the knight, who danced around the Dragon with firm but graceful footsteps that the Dragon admired. The Dragon froze and flicked the Dragon's tail before spewing more fire.

Maki leapt over the Dragon's long tail (much to the Dragon's amazement and disappointment), and crouched to avoid the fire, all while keeping her beat.

The Dragon was mesmerized but snapped out of it, crawling after Maki - gracefully, of course, and snapped at the redhead's heels.

Maki realised she had to run, and ran straight for the tower, hurtling herself in a reckless jump. She landed at the bottom of the stairs after crashing through the flimsy wooden doors, getting up in time to avoid being burnt to a crisp as the Dragon hurled another ball of fire at her. Not that she cared, of course. She was too angry to care about anything. If her parents were concerned now, GOOD! Okay, maybe she felt a little guilty. Not that much, just a little bit. Lesser. yup, that much.

The Dragon was now tailing her from outside, but the Dragon didn't want to destroy the tower, and headed for the top of it.

Maki went up the stairs in her original pace, no longer seeing the need to speed up. The black lizard was a wimp, and she could take 10 of them at any time.

The Dragon sneezed and set an unfortunate bird on fire.

Maki finally reached the last door, panting slightly because she had been going at a constant pace since she left her house.

She knocked on it and waited before opening it politely. She didn't care for the princess but she cared for manners. Probably. She entered, eager to get it over with.

* * *

"Oh, you're finally here. I saw your fight with the amazing, terrifying, legendary Dragon. Those were quite some fancy moves."

A short girl with equally short twintails stood with her back facing Maki, who looked around the pink room with a pink canopy bed, complete with several pink pillows and pink sheets. the whole room was pink, which was a shocking contrast with the grey tower.

"Well, aren't you going to say something, my apparent Knight in shining armour, my hands...ome.. savio-" The girl turned around, and froze, her mouth hanging open after seeing Maki, who was still rather taken in, and taken aback by the gaudy décor.

"Huh." Maki looked at the runt, who had amazingly familiar red eyes, an obnoxious aura, and black hair. Wait, black hair? red eyes? This could only clearly mean one thing!

"You're not the princess." She stated bluntly, at this point, vexed that she might have possibly been on a wild goose chase. Or that the rumours about the princess were false and the princess was actually this ... this spoilt child in front of her. She nearly drew her sword and sliced everything in the room. She twirled her hair agitatedly, and missed the girl's look at her.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." The black haired girl started, and she was blushing. "There isn't just one princess, there are two, and I'm with them, and we're all gay, I mean, they're both too gay to be rescued, sorry, I mean, you look cute, not as cute as me, of course, but you have no way of competing with them. I'm also kinda that Dragon who attacked you and I'm so sorry, I wouldn't have done it if I knew you were so hot and-" The girl froze, realising she was blabbering on and on. Her face flushed, rivalling the ripe red tomatoes that Maki loved.

"Er. You're the Dragon? And you -what?!" Maki twirled her hair, and looked away, feeling the same way she did when she was 5 and got stuck in the chimney waiting for Santa and was finally rescued by her parents.

The black haired girl growled angrily and smacked her face. "Damnit, why do I do this, years of concealing my secret identity and this." She blushed and her panicked expression seemed to activate something in Maki.

She suddenly remembered that stupid fortune telling she received from a hooded traveller some years ago. And she had laughed it off, but now that prophecy rang clearly like an unwanted alarm in her head.

' _Ah, you're a great knight. Knights fight dragons. You meet a dragon and you will want to f_ -'

Maki coughed.

' _-k the dragon_.'

She had assumed it meant to destroy the dragon, but this... this...

Maki growled. "This whole thing is stupid. You're stupid but stupidly cute. I'm stupid! Why did you say that, idiot!" She squatted down and gripped her hair, too embarrassed to say anything.

"Who asked you to look so damn hot that I blanked out?!" The black haired girl retorted, covering her face and leaning against the wall

"Don't look at me!" Maki screamed, feeling despair and shame take over her logical thinking.

"I wasn't even looking at you!" The black haired girl shouted back.

Maki got up, legs spag- wobbly but still able to move. "What do you want now, you idiot!"

"I want your name!"

"I'm Nishikino Maki, you're rude for not introducing yourself!"

"I'm Yazawa Nico! And you're equally rude!"

Maki held her head and staggered away, face still red. She... she couldn't stay here or she might die from embarrassment, or even worse... fulfil the prophecy.

"I'll be back again so don't you run away, you coward! N-not that I want to see you, but I need to t-take revenge! That's right! I'll see you in two days!"

She ran off, but heard Nico's reply as she nearly tripped down the stairs.

"Don't be late or you'll regret it!"

She fell down the stairs, but her groan was in frustration, not pain. Telling her parents she wanted to be a bard was way easier compared to telling them she f- fell for a dragon.

* * *

End

* * *

A sequel? I don't know, maybe there will be one. Who knows.

I'm just kidding. I planned out backgrounds and character relationships, of course I might continue this story. When I feel like it. Someday.

If you were too lazy to venture into the tumblr post, let me simplify it. It was a horoscope post about princesses, knights, and dragons.

Maki got the knight and Nico got the dragon. Instead of reblogging and simply scrolling past it, I got an idea. I still don't know how to feel about this.

Thanks for reading yo.


	2. Chapter 2: The Dragon's Princesses

**A/N: Yohoo, the sequel/next chapter of A Knight's Prophecy is finally here! Yay! My writing style does tend to fluctuate, so this is not as crack-ish as AKP.**

 **Summary: NozoEli are introduced in their gay garden, and Maki tries to escape from her predicament. Nico gets annoyed and upset and bullied. Souhi's summaries become shittier.**

 **Pairings: NicoMaki, NozoEli**

* * *

 **The Dragon's Princesses**

* * *

A black Dragon swooped down from the top of the castle, wings spreading elegantly, allowing the Dragon to glide down towards the inner wards of the castle.

Truth be told, the magnificent castle the Dragon resided in was a farce. The Dragon resided in the corner tower which was accessible after one passed the inner ward, but the other towers were useless (and ugly) so the Dragon had the interiors scrapped, leaving more space for the Dragon and still maintaining that imposing and distinguishable structure that could be admired from all angles. The keep had been torn down to half its original height, allowing sunlight to stream in from the top.

As the Dragon approached the keep, the Dragon started to shrink. Magnificent black wings folding in, tail shirking back, and scales fading, the Dragon started to morph until a small girl with disappearing wings landed at the entrance of a greenhouse.

She sighed and grumbled, storming past the open entrance.

"I can't believe it! This is your doing, isn't it?" She shouted, looking around the lush greenery for telltale signs of eccentric royalty. Eccentric _and horny_ , she added. She spotted a discarded article and her grumbling became more audible as she followed the trail.

Giggles from behind a bush alerted her to where the culprit of her previous predicament was. She parted the thick leaves and raised her eyebrows, one of which was twitching.

"Get dressed already!"

* * *

"I see. So Nico has met her today. So today's the day." A blonde calmly sipped her tea, and her fingers splayed open to dance around purple hair.

"Yes. Yes I met _her_. I didn't expect this." Nico folded her arms. "This is all that boob monster's fault."

The boob monster smiled merrily at Nico, but it wasn't a warm smile. It was… it was a smile of promised death to one's chest tissues, and Nico's arms tightened around her chest protectively.

"I did try to tell you, Nicocchi." The purple haired boob monster leaned into the blonde's touch.

"Nozomi! You told me that I would find a handsome knight attractive, nothing more! Aren't your stupid tarot cards supposed to predict things accura-" A harsh glare from both females opposite Nico shut her up, and despite being a Dragon, she slinked back down in her seat.

"My tarot cards aren't stupid, and they're pretty accurate." Nozomi the boob monster took out her deck from her cleavage and started to shuffle them.

"Oh my god, do you always keep them there? I can't believe I touched those cards before." Nico jerked back and nearly fell over. "How many things can get lost in your boobs?"

Nozomi giggled. "Well, Elicchi's hand has also gotten lost many times, not just there too."

"Nozomi!" The blonde whined, blood starting to rush to her face, but her hand remained where it was, creeping down Nozomi's neck.

"Gross." Nico mimicked throwing up. "But what was with that reading?!"

Nozomi shuffled her cards and glances at Eli with slight irritation when the blonde's hands crept further down.

"It was as accurate as I could get without disrupting the flow of destiny or angering the gods." Nozomi spoke calmly as her cards slid over each other with a fixed rhythm.

"What would I have done if I had known that the knight you were referring to was a girl? Fly away? You know I can't possibly do that!" Nico scowled.

"Actually, you might, Nico. The only thing is that you might be mistaken for a lost child whichever town or village you end up in." Eli smirked and winced a second later as Nozomi swatted her hands away.

"T-that's not it! I have a reason to stay here!"

"And what would that reason be, Nicocchi?" Nozomi grinned.

"The two of you… the two of you would just run wild without me here!"

Nozomi leaned over the table suddenly, nearly upsetting the two cups of tea and Nico squeaked.

"You're not being an honest child, Nicocchi. Why can't you just admit that with Elicchi and I here, your life is full of joy and excitement? Not to mention, every dragon has a princess. It's necessary for their reputation."

"And you get two princesses. If you run off, you'd probably return because who else would send out the pleas for help? We still have our seals after all." Eli finished her tea and set it back down.

"…tch. Annoying." Nico mumbled.

"Now, I remember you saying something about my tarot cards…" Nozomi closed her eyes, and drew out a card, flashing it before Nico's eyes far too quickly for the petite girl to notice.

"And this time the cards say…" Nozomi stood up and moved towards Nico, who resisted enough to look up fearfully.

"That someone needs a Washi Washi Max!"

* * *

Nishikino Maki, knight-in-training shuddered on the way back. For some strange reason, her fourth finger had twitched and she felt as though it was a little hard to breathe. She wondered if she had inhaled something that the dragon, ah, no, that girl had spewed out. Surely dirt and germs would have escaped the girl – dragon – argh! Something would have escaped with the flames.

Her lungs no longer seemed constricted and she shrugged, heading to the nearest village that was not in the way of her hometown.

* * *

Yazawa Nico lay in her bed, curled towards the wall. Her chest still hurt and she now owed Eli a favour for distracting Nozomi long enough for her to sneak away. She dreaded going back to the greenhouse where the two almost permanently resided.

Nico snorted. Sure, the greenhouse was calming but they were almost there everyday. And to get to the middle where the nice mini-lawn and tables and chairs were, one had to navigate through a maze of lilies. Nico hated the smell of lilies. She had tried to replace them with something cuter like sunflowers or roses, but Eli had thrown a huge fit and refused to write any letters for a whole two months. Her reputation as a fearsome Dragon had suffered because of that.

And now her reputation would suffer more when that stupid knight returned. She knew that it was unavoidable. Nozomi was regretfully, always accurate in her readings.

"Two days, huh?" Nico sighed and the image of the attractive red haired knight invaded her mind. Okay, so maybe Nishikino was attractive, maybe even both handsome and cute with her looks…

"Ahhh, no, no, no, no!" Nico buried her face into one of her many pillows. "This is stupid, why am I thinking of her! She's a rude brat!"

"So are you, actually."

Nico flinched at the taunting voice and spun round to face the blonde, who met her gaze with cool blue eyes.

"I am not a brat." Nico growled, although her pout didn't do much to help her argument.

"Whatever you say, Nico." Eli shrugged. "You owe me a favour, right?"

"Ye-"

Eli put up her hand, silencing Nico. "That was a rhetorical question. I hope that you can help me replenish my chocolate supply when your tantrum is over."

"!" Nico gestured wildly, mimicking strangling someone, but Eli ignored her.

"Thank you for being such a good kid, Nico!"

"ARGHHH!" Nico groaned and flopped back onto her bed.

Sometimes she wondered why she still stayed with the two assholes.

"Royalty my ass." She muffled her complaint with a pillow lest any of them happened to be lurking around again.

* * *

"Nozomi, you said you should never try to get in the way of destiny, right?" Eli asked, stroking the hair of the girl lying in her lap.

"Yup! It is dangerous to do so, since destiny is an unstoppable force. Especially when it comes to two people."

"Hmm, did destiny lead me to you?" Eli mused, her hands working to untangle a small knot.

"Maybe~ It definitely led you and I to this castle, where we met in the glass garden." Nozomi smiled.

"And it led us to Nico, huh?"

"Ah, well, I didn't know what we were expecting. My cards didn't predict that." Nozomi reached out and placed her hand over Eli's.

"Mmm. But it all turned out fine. Three runaways meeting and becoming good friends."

"Friends. Yup." Nozomi smiled. "I'm really, really happy I met both Nico and you."

"I don't know how long you had no company, but it must have been tough on you, Nozomi. I'm sorry for being so late." Eli changed their positions so that they were now lying side by side.

"Silly Elicchi, it's enough that you're here now."

* * *

Maki had had a restless night despite being given the best room in the inn. The bed's soft lining and fluffy pillow seemed stuffy and scratchy at night, when her thoughts were running free and wild. Black hair and red eyes had disturbed her rest, keeping her awake even though she needed to sleep.

"I wanted to-"

A rooster crowed as the sun decided to show its face.

"- a dragon."

Maki slapped a hand over her eyes. No way was this true. Some stupid fortune teller actually predicted this. She had expected that sentence to mean that she would slay a dragon and make its life hell before doing that, but… but …

Maki turned to her side but fell off the bed with a heavy thud.

"I told her I'd be back in two days too…" She curled up, ignoring the dull throbbing in her right shoulder and hip.

She shot up, a scarily twisted smile emerging. She burst out laughing triumphantly.

'Of course! I just have to avoid that dragon and find some other terrifying dragon!' She laughed as she reviewed her clearly brilliant plan.

"Erm, excuse me, are you all right there?" A knock and a timid voice snapped Maki out of her own world and she made sure she was presentable before answering the door. The nervous innkeeper was looking at her with concern, and Maki smiled before remarking she was fine and that she would be staying for two more days.

'Two more days and that deadline will have passed! And I can remain here to prevent myself from meeting that dragon!'

* * *

The castle was a mess. The usually responsible, reserved and cool Ayase Eli was now throwing a fit because Nico had accidentally destroyed the chocolate stash, melting it when Nozomi had given her another 'special massage'.

"It's not my fault, Eli! F-fire just comes out when I receive enough shock!" Nico dodged Eli's frightening accuracy. A bowl smashed into the wall behind her, and Nico tried to make a dash for the window, where she could just dive out and transform.

"I! DON'T! CARE!" Eli roared and actually lifted the wooden table and flung it at Nico with enough force for the legs to pierce the wall, trapping Nico between this still salvageable piece of furniture and the wall.

Nico really didn't want to destroy this part of the castle, but she also didn't want her beautiful face to be marred. She squirmed and tried to wriggle down and past the table, glad that she wasn't like Nozomi in this situation.

Eli was gaining pace, moving steadily towards Nico.

Nico squeezed downwards, feeling her knees pass the edge of the table.

Eli grabbed a brick that had fallen loose from their intense game of tag, and marched towards Nico with unshakable determination.

"N-Nico?" Nico smiled nervously, inching downwards until she felt her chin tap the top of the wooden table.

"Oh shit." Nico muttered, and started willing her body to move in the opposite direction, struggling to free herself without harming this table or the wall behind her. Furniture was a pain to bring back, and this table was one of her favourites. She already needed to replace two beds, one wall, eight chairs, one teapot set, three bowls, two plates, and one fork.

Eli moved closer. If Nico didn't hurry up, they would need to replace more than those.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." Nico muttered and inhaled deeply, trying to shrink her body. "Oh shit, oh shit, ohshitohshitohshit."

"Elicchi! Stop!" Nozomi burst into the room, panting. Eli paused and looked at Nozomi with a warmer gaze.

"Finally." Nico mumbled, wondering if the extra weight slowed Nozomi down. The blonde turned sharply to her, brick raised. "Eep."

"Elicchi!" Nozomi said in a stern tone, and the blonde froze once again. "That's more than enough! Shouldn't you know what you shouldn't do?"

Eli dropped the brick and looked down at her shoes.

"You're not a child anymore! I want you to apologise to Nicocchi, after freeing her!"

Eli nodded and broke the legs of the table, making Nico wince. The table fell free and Nico sidestepped her way out.

"I'm truly apologetic, Nico. I just… I just lost it when I saw all that chocolate flowing down, especially after I told you two days ago that it was running out.."

"Elicchi! I told you that friends are important!" Nozomi chided, and Eli shrunk back, twisting her fingers in front of her. "Stop that, Elicchi! I'm talking to you! No matter how much chocolate Nicocchi destroys, you can't wreck the castle or harm others!"

"It's alright, Nozomi. I know that Eli needs chocolate." Nico adjusted her twintails. "I'll just fly to the nearest village and raid their sweets store and furniture store."

"Ah, please pay them for both. I did make some money off gambling a few days ago." Nozomi retrieved a pouch and threw it to Nico.

Nico sighed and walked out from the broken wall, transforming into the Dragon.

"Elicchi, it's alright, no need to cry." Nozomi stretched out her hands and embraced the sobbing blonde.

"I lost control again, Nozomi." Eli sobbed, hands dangling beside her limply.

"It's alright, Elicchi, we'll work through this together." Nozomi hugged the blonde tighter. "You can touch me, you won't harm me."

"H-how do you know?" Eli whimpered, her fingers twitching but she held them by her side.

"You won't harm me, I know it. You're so gentle,Elicchi." Nozomi nuzzled the blonde, and felt hesitant fingers tapping her back. "It's alright, Elicchi. Let's try and clear things up and make it easier for Nicocchi, shall we?"

* * *

Nico eyed the polished table in the shop display. She was currently in her human form, with a cloak wrapped around her so no one could call her 'little girl'. The table was pleasing, but it was regretfully a little bigger than the previous one. There was plenty of space in the castle, but the thing was that Nico had a habit of placing all the food in the center of the table, and a bigger table meant that she had to _stretch_ over and look like a fool when she wanted to take food.

"Maybe not this one." She sighed, and her eyes fell upon the next shop, which was selling cloth. One piece was a beautiful, striking red, not as piercing as her own eyes, but slightly lighter, just like… just like…

"Ah!" She gasped out loud, and a few people turned to look at her. She coughed and pretended to clear her throat. 'That's right, today… today is the day! She's supposed to come! I'll… I'll just find stuff and quickly fly back! I need to be there or Maki-chan will end up meeting those two perverts instead!'

Nico hastened her footsteps. 'Wait, Maki- _chan_? Where did that come from?'

She quickly made a mental map of where everything she needed was, and left the town to transform. Thank goodness this town had a sweets store, a carpenter, an earthernware store, and she would just grab bricks from fallen structures that she would 'accidentally' destroy. What else was needed? Oh yes, beds. She noticed there was an inn. Perfect, she would grab a fork and two beds from there later. And the cloth would be used to bundle everything.

* * *

"That is a pretty strong wind." Nozomi noted, looking out towards the direction Nico had flown towards.

"It is, isn't it?" Eli remarked.

"It wouldn't be this strong if you didn't destroy the wall, Elicchi." Nozomi deadpanned and Eli winced.

* * *

The Dragon inhaled and snorted black smoke all over the first half of the village, making sure most of the villagers escaped before swooping forward to get the Dragon's loot, sprinkling the coins Nozomi had given the Dragon in the process. While this seemed fun, the Dragon was stressing out over it. Not only did the Dragon have to play the perfect elegant and terrifying Dragon, the Dragon had to make sure not to kill any villager. Right now the Dragon had a reputation of stealing cattle occasionally and guarding a princess. But if the Dragon harmed any innocent human, there was no guarantee that the Dragon would not receive mobs entering the castle.

The Dragon had to be _great_ and preferably _perfect_ , not doing anything _bad_ to mess up the Dragon's reputation. Imagine if the Dragon managed to _miss_ the Dragon's target and crash into the wrong store or even worse, kill a human for no reason. Plus, blood was pretty hard to wash off.

The Dragon flew towards the inn, most of the wanted items wrapped in many layers of beautiful red cloth and safely secured in the Dragon's claws. The Dragon was too excited and ripped off the rood of the inn.

The Dragon shook the Dragon's head and scattered all the remaining coins into the inn before sweeping two beds into the bundle carefully.

* * *

Darkness and jumbling sounds. That was all Nishikino Maki knew about the current situation she was in. Was she kidnapped? Did night and day reverse? She had finally managed to fall asleep (in her armour, no less) after finally being convinced that her plan was foolproof, and something else was now happening. She felt around and realized she was still on her bed. Maybe she did sleep through the day. Something jerked and her bed started to move.

"Hyaaaah!" She screamed as she started to slide down. She grabbed onto the bedframe and felt the whole world shake and swing about, making her slightly dizzy. She would have loved to sit down but it seemed to be impossibly in her current situation. Her legs dangling over the bed were hit by something and she tucked them back up before. Her sword flew over her chestplate, the strap smacking her in the face.

"No matter! I will get past this dark storm!" Maki declared, and tucked herself under the blankets, which were snug and tight below the mattress. She was only safe this way.

*LINE BREAK*

The Dragon hovered near the hole in the wall, and Eli helped to unload the huge bundle.

"Niccochi, please pack them separately next time!" Nozomi shouted, and the Dragon snorted.

The bundle entered the castle safely, and Nico swung down after it.

"I'm sorry I don't have people helping me to wrap things up nicely when I'm putting on a show." Nico scoffed, and threw a large box to Eli, who excitedly unwrapped it.

"Later, Elicchi! We need to restore the castle!" Nozomi warned, and Eli put the box down obediently.

Nico undid the top knot, and they waited for the folds to drop down.

* * *

Nishikino Maki, now aware that the world around her had stopped moving, peeked out from behind the covers.

And saw a mess of furniture beside her. As expected, it was probably a storm.

She sat up straight, and saw three girls. One of them looked extremely familiar, with red eyes, black hair tied in twintails, and a flat ch-

"AHH!" "AHHHHHH!" Two screams pierced the ears of everyone present, and Maki jumped on top of the bed, slightly embarrassed.

"What are you doing here?!" "What am I doing here?!"

"Oho." Nozomi covered her mouth.

"I was trying to avoid you-" Maki burst out, but bit her tongue when she saw Nico's expectant half-smile fade into a shocked 'o'

"I see. That's how it is. I'm sorry I'm not like these princesses here then, oh high and mighty knight." Nico frowned and turned away, eyes shining brightly.

"N-no, it isn't like that!" Maki glanced at the two people Nico had gestured towards, but that split second was enough for Nico to walk right out of the hole and drop down.

Maki ran after Nico, just in time to see the girl transform into a black blob with wings.

"Ah." Eli and Nozomi mumbled when the red haired knight walked away.

"Hah!" They screamed in panic when the red haired knight ran forward and jumped, following Nico's path out of the walls.

"Nico-chan!" Maki yelled as she plunged down, grabbing tightly on the Dragon's back when she landed.

The Dragon, alarmed, thrashed about but could not fling the persistent knight off.

"Nico-chan, please listen to me!" Maki shouted, clinging onto the Dragon for dear life. She started to move up to the Dragon's head. That way she could get her message through clearer.

The Dragon snorted and flew higher up. Maki followed the ascent.

"Nico-chan!" With each shout like that, the Dragon started struggling less, but was still reluctant to stop.

"Nico! Chan!" Maki pulled herself higher, wrapping her arms around the Dragon's neck, closing her eyes as she felt dizzy again. She blindly snaked up higher, hoping that Nico would listen to her.

"Wow, look at her go." Eli commented, and Nozomi stared in amazement.

"I knew she was an amazing knight thanks to her display of skill, but… but this is truly amazing."

"Nico-chan! I avoided you, that's true!"

The Dragon twisted the Dragon's body agitatedly.

"But, but I did that because Nico-chan was too distracting, and I couldn't, I couldn't fall asleep at night because I was thinking too much about Nico-chan!"

The Dragon stopped struggling all at once.

"I… Nico-chan, I don't know what you did, or why this is happening, but, but I don't hate you! I don't know what to do, and I was afraid! So I… so I tried to!"

The Dragon swopped in, morphing as it did so, leaving a red haired girl tightly embracing a black haired girl from the back.

Nico spun around, breaking the hug, and slapped Maki hard enough for the knight to fall down. "Idiot! I was scared too! I was so scared!" She pounded at Maki's chest armour, and the bewildered knight stared at the small, trembling girl in front of her.

"Nico-chan…"

"Maki-chan you idiot!" Nico cried, and in that instant, Maki knew exactly why she called Nico 'Nico-chan'. She hugged Nico instinctively, and almost sighed at the contact.

* * *

"Ahem. These per- people are Toujou Nozomi and Ayase Eli." Nico introduced, and Maki bowed to both of them politely.

The four of them were seated on the new chairs. Nozomi had set things straight and made sure everyone pitched in some effort to fix the castle before talking.

"Ah. I'm Nishikino Maki. Ayase-san,"

"Eli is fine." Eli spoke with such coldness that Maki thought twice before going along with it.

"Eli, are… could you be that princess that was mentioned in all those letters?"

"Perhaps." Eli replied swiftly.

"Elicchi is. And before she was here, I was the one writing these letters." Nozomi voiced out.

"Ah. So it was just a coincidence." Maki stated, and Nozomi shook her head.

"I had always known." Nozomi smiled. "Ah, that's right, you're probably wondering what Nicocchi is doing with two of us here."

"It is quite a mystery." Maki admitted, and Nico rolled her eyes.

"Nicocchi is a dragon, you know that."

"And dragons need princesses, blah blah. So they are both my princesses." Nico cut it proudly.

"Well, I guess." Nozomi continued. "Elicchi and I ran away from our castle and we've been here for some time. Nicocchi is the perfect protector and chef. In exchange for her services, we give her reputation by issuing letters of challenge in her steed. The more famous she is, the easier her life is, you know. She won't have to kill people like some other dragons do. She only has that obligation towards the challengers."

"Yeah, so they're my princesses. I call the shots." Nico folded her arms.

"I never acknowledged that." Eli shot back.

"Well, Elicchi is a little frosty towards new people. But she's nice." Nozomi smiled. "I think you'll be staying here for some time, Maki. So make yourself comfortable."

"I am not getting a new bed from that town I just ravaged." Nico muttered.

"Oho? Do you want to share a bed with Maki so soon?" Nozomi teased, and watched curiously as Maki turned red and sputtered while Nico stood up and started swearing.

"Well, Elicchi can give up her bed." Nozomi suggested.

"No way! I don't know what you've been doing on her bed."

"I won't acknowledge that decision, Nozomi."

"I could give up my bed." Nozomi tried again.

"No, you deserve a bed."

"I won't acknowledge that either."

Maki watched all of these in awe. She was too overwhelmed to join in, and it felt so new but… nice. 'So this is how… friends are like?' She watched the squabbling trio and couldn't hold back her amusement.

The trio turned to the laughing knight, and especially Nico was transfixed by her pure joy.

"I guess I can fly there after all…" Nico gave in.

"Nicocchi, we can go shopping."

"All of us?" Eli asked hopefully.

"Huh, no way!" Nico protested, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"Would you like to join us, Maki?" Nozomi asked.

"What? You're not dragging her onto your errand!" Nico insisted.

"Your opinion is irrelevant, Nico."

Maki looked at all her new companions. 'I don't think those are the dragon's princesses.'

"Of course. I'd love to."

Nico's shocked face and the princesses' triumphant looks confirmed that.

"Nico's the princesses' dragon." She said out loud.

Eli smirked, and Nico's move dropped.

"You're wrong, Maki." Nozomi shook her head, and Nico seemed touched.

Nozomi blessed everyone with a charming smile.

"Nicocchi is the princesses' and the knight's dragon."

* * *

 **END**

 **Yay! Chapter 2 is done! Thank you all those who reviewed previously!**

 **Some of you might notice that some things are touched on briefly. I am planning a third chapter, which might take some time. But that will come when it will. I'm sorry for any mistakes. It is past 4am currently and my eyes hurt and my brain is no longer functioning at normal capacity.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this fic!**

 **Do leave a review and let me know what you think of this update, what will happen etc! I'd love to hear from you!**


	3. Side Story: Chocolates for the Princess?

**This is a side story of A Knight's Prophecy Series! It takes place in Eli's memories, and it does show you a little of what happened to Eli prior to meeting Nozomi and Nico. This is also intended to be an update for Eli's birthday, although it does not take place on Eli's birthday here heheh.**

 **This happened before A Knight's Prophecy, let me repeat for clarity.**

* * *

 **Chocolates for the Princess?**

* * *

/Unknown time before A Knight's Prophecy/

Ayase Eli, princess of the Galanthus Kingdom, sighed wistfully while sorting out a pile of letters. Well, not just any letter. She had gotten wedding proposals many times, and all of those had been flung into the fireplace without a second glance, even before she had the slightest bit of interest in anyone. These letters in front of her were different. They had been from the Princess of the Syringa Kingdom, every single one of them.

The Syringa Princess was now one of her closest friends, and maybe even her best friend. It was not an insult to Honoka and Yukiho, who had been around Eli for more than ten years. It was just that… the Syringa Princess was so charming, so understanding, and just… perfect. That very thought summoned a silly grin on Eli's face. The usually stoic and stern Princess would have been sent to a doctor if anyone saw that. But she couldn't help it. She knew she had somehow fallen for the Syringa Princess, and she just had a feeling that it was mutual. The Syringa Princess was fond of teasing everyone, groping chests, telling fortunes, and helping out around the castle as much as possible.

While she had never met the princess in person, tales told to her by the Princess's trusted friend and knight-in-training, Sonoda Umi. Eli got along quite well with Umi, and they had even sparred a couple of times. She was impressed with Umi's swift and decisive swings of the sword, but Eli usually won, dragging the battle long enough for her brute strength to disarm Umi and knock her to the ground. If they competed in archery though…

She was really glad for Umi's friendship. Without the blue haired archer, she would never have met Umi, or have a worthy rival. Of course, her younger sister Arisa just had to be attracted to Umi, which thankfully she was unaware of. Knowing Umi, she would become extremely awkward and freeze up while thinking of a polite way to reply Arisa. Come to think of it, Umi hadn't changed that much since Eli had met her two years ago. She was still easily embarrassed and could never work with contractions. Eli chuckled and closed her eyes, allowing memories to take over.

* * *

 _Eli frowned as she looked down towards the empty grounds as she walked along the corridors. The training grounds were currently deserted, seeing as it was smack in the middle of winter. For some reason, Galanthus always experienced the coldest weathers among all kingdoms during mid-winter. And for that very reason, most people took a vacation to the warmer Kingdoms, like Syringa, which was known as the 'eternally spring' kingdom due to its abundance of blooming flowers and nature. There was also the Otonokizaka Kingdom, known for its bustling markets and busy streets. It sounded incredible to Eli, who never had the chance to venture past her kingdom. Princesses weren't given that much freedom, especially since other Kingdoms held grudges for scorned Princes._

 _During midwinter, most people left Galanthus, and few entered. Which was what made Eli think the King of Syringa was mad, meeting her father for business when the weather was horrid. Eli loved the cold, but this freezing temperature made some of the toughest soldiers grumble about their chilled bones. In the castle, it was definitely warmer, but Eli still found her clothing to be thick and cumbersome to move about in. She approached the main hall, and smiled while her father introduced her._

 _While regurgitating lines she had been taught to say, she couldn't help but let her eyes wander towards the tall and lean figure beside the king. She looked about as young as Eli, barely 20. The woman was stiff and standing straight. Eli wondered her business was with the jovial King of Syringa. King Toujou was always ready to smile, so that woman couldn't be his daughter._

 _"Ah, let me introduce this young talent." King Toujou grinned after the Ayases' introductions._

 _The dark haired woman flushed and her eyes widened._

 _"This is Sonoda Umi, Knight-in Training, and bodyguard of my own daughter. Although I'd say she can just remove the 'in-training' and become a full fledged knight."_

 _"Ah, n-no, I must admit that my swordfighting is in much need of improvement, my King." She stammered, and Eli raised an eyebrow. So much for stiff! This Umi was amusing._

 _"That's incredible! A knight at such a young age! I'm sure she'll get along with your daughter just fine, and do well to serve her." Eli's father replied, and Umi bowed perfectly._

 _"Ah well, we old geezers might take some time." King Toujou nodded towards King Ayase, who got the hint._

 _"Ah. Indeed. Eli, do bring Sonoda around for a tour. Toujou and I have much to speak about."_

 _Eli nodded, and walked forward briskly, expecting Sonoda Umi to follow her. She was reaching the door when footsteps pattering behind her eased to a slow walk. She smirked, knowing that the Syringa knight was nervous._

 _They walked in silence, the Syringa Knight's shoulders raised squarely, and her gaze boring straight ahead._

 _"You're nervous, aren't you?" Eli chuckled, and the knight seemed to be both ashamed and insulted. "It's alright, everyone gets nervous their first time. Although you look too serious now. This isn't a mission. I'm here to show you around the castle." Eli added, noting Sonoda's sharp glare._

 _Umi jumped, and waved her hands in front of her. "T-that is not really, I-I am just-" She took a deep breath. "I apologize. It is rather nerve-wrecking to visit another Kingdom, and to meet with royalty. I had no idea of the possible difference between royals of different Kingdoms. Please excuse my behavior, Princess Ayase."_

 _Eli waved dismissively. "Look, you're one of the young people I'll ever get to meet outside of Galanthus. I'd like it if you wouldn't be so formal." Eli smiled. 'And not to mention, a friendship outside of Galanthus would be good. I could be forging new relationships with the next generation. One built on friendship and mutual agreement instead of threats and false alliances.'_

 _"Ah, then… how should I address you, Princess Ayase?"_

 _Eli tapped her chin as she looked at the startled knight._

 _"Eli is fine."_

 _"EH!?" Umi covered her mouth. "I. I mean, but surely I could not address one with your rank without any formalities, it simply is not proper."_

 _"Look, Umi," Eli said, observing Umi's reaction. "I am not here to order you around. I don't want you to prioritize my rank above my actual person. Calling me Eli is fine."_

 _"Ah, t-then, E-eli." Umi said and shivered a little._

 _"Yes, that's right, Umi! No formalities!" Eli smiled, and extended her hand, "It's nice to meet you, new friend!"_

 _"Guheh?!" Eli's newest friend fell backwards._

 _Eli later learnt that such behavior was not common of a royal, and she had taken that first and last crazy attempt with a complete stranger. It took Umi 4 minutes to recover from her shock, but after that, they started to talk, Umi first sharing her goal of being a top-notch archer and knight, and Eli nodding appreciatively._

 _"Say, shall we spar? You are a knight, right?" Eli offered, and once again, Umi was about to faint._

 _"B-but what if I hurt you?" Umi shook her head._

 _"Oho, you're thinking of me as a dainty princess, are you?" Eli smirked. "I'll have you know that every member of the Ayase royal family has to take weapons classes while growing up. I will not be giving you a handicap." She stood up, and Umi followed, her legs unsteady._

 _"But-"_

 _"Oh, come on, Umi. It'll be fun! I haven't lost to anyone yet." Eli reassured the worried woman. "I have an unusual amount of strength." She winked._

 _After much protesting, cajoling, and waiting for the two kings to give their permissions, Eli dragged Umi to an indoor sparring ground, and knocked Umi's sword away with a heavy knock after fifteen minutes._

 _"See, I told you I wasn't so weak." Eli laughed. She had blocked all of Umi's strikes, which were swift and accurate. It was tiring trying to keep up with her, but Eli's strongest point was dragging out the match, and using her natural immense strength to disarm Umi's sword and crack her own sword._

 _"That is a surprising ability." Umi nodded. She was now in awe of this princess, and would surely tell her own princess all about it. "I do hope to be able to spar with you again, someday. Unfortunately, I think it is time for me to take my leave. The Kings had ended their talk before we started sparring, after all."_

 _Eli nodded, and placed her sword away. Unless it could be repaired, it was now useless. Umi sheathed the sword provided and hung it back where it came from._

 _"I do hope I will be able to meet you again, Umi." Eli smiled genuinely. This woman had been pleasant to talk to, awkward but sincere, and it was refreshing. She seemed devoted to her princess, having told Eli bits and pieces of their lives. The Syringa princess seemed like quite the character too, groping her servants and friends, teasing everyone, playing pranks and forcing Umi on this trip so she could return and tell her everything. She had learnt that the Syringa princess was also near their age. It would be a shame to let Umi leave empty handed, now that she thought about it._

 _"Hold on, Umi." Eli said, and rushed to the pantry. Her childhood friend Honoka was on duty, and greeted her cheerfully._

 _"Eli-chan! What's up?" Honoka waved to the blonde princess._

 _"I, well, guests from Syringa are leaving, and I want to present a gift to them."_

 _"Food! Food is always good!" Honoka suggested._

 _Eli laughed. "I know. That's why I came here, Honoka."_

 _"Eheheh." Honoka rubbed the back of her head. "Aha! What about this! It's top-quality beef that I had seasoned myself! It should be good!" She produced a package of wrapped meat. "Seasoned with my family's secret recipe, I add." Honoka beamed proudly, and Eli eyed the suspicious package._

 _"I assure you it tastes good, Princess!" Yukiho, Honoka's sister popped her head out from behind one of the shelves. "I tried it and I hate to admit it, but it seems like my sister is capable of something good after all."_

 _"Hey! What do you mean by that?!" Honoka shouted, and Yukiho ducked back behind the shelves. "Anyway, take it, Eli-chan." Honoka thrust the package towards Eli insistently._

 _"If you say so, Honoka. Thanks!" Eli grabbed it, and ran back to the waiting Umi. 'I hope this doesn't ruin things between our kingdoms.'_

 _"Umi! Sorry to keep you waiting! I got this for you and the princess." Eli explained, seeing Umi eye the package curiously._

 _"Meat?" Umi sniffed and blinked. "It might be a coincidence, Pri- Eli, because my princess loves eating meat. I thank you on her behalf, Eli." Umi bowed again, and the two made idle chatter before reaching the main hall again, where Umi rejoined her King and set off for Syringa again._

* * *

The first letter that Eli held in her hand now was a thank-you letter from the Princess of Syringa, Toujou Nozomi. Eli was surprised to see a letter addressed to her one week after Umi had left Galanthus, and was about to fling it in the fireplace, thinking it was another marriage proposal, before she spotted the royal Syringa seal on it.

Princess Toujou Nozomi had also sent in a brief introduction of who she was, and mentioned she would be glad to keep in contact with someone who had treated her own childhood friend so kindly. Eli had jumped at that request, and sent a letter over, and thus started their two-way exchange.

They kept at it for 2 years, sharing their joys, their dreams, and their sorrows with someone they had never met, but strangely felt a connection to. Nozomi gave Eli a nickname, and what started as Eli's joke reply turned into a flirtatious banter. Eli knew she had fallen for Nozomi when Nozomi's reply of 'You suck. Elicchi, but I love you anyway.' sent waves to her heart and made her fall on her bed in dizzy happiness.

And it got even better when Nozomi started to end all her letters with "I love you and hope to hear from you soon.", after she sent Umi on a quest to deliver a present to Eli for Christmas. Eli saw it as a plain abuse of authority and pitied the knight, even if she was invited to the Christmas banquet in the Galanthus Castle

Eli later ignored that when she bit into the handmade chocolates Nozomi had made, each of them in a little container. She wouldn't mind Nozomi sending the poor woman on trips to and fro Galanthus for those heavenly chocolates.

 _'I know that Elicchi loves chocolates, so I tried to make chocolates from scratch. I poured a lot of love in them, so I hope you like them. If possible, would you like me to make some for February as well? Sometime around the second week. Don't be shy about it, my dear Elicchi! I love you and hope to hear from you soon.'_

She nearly choked on her chocolate, but managed to savour it properly before shouting 'HARASHO!' and making her attendants scramble to her in panic.

And today, the 14th of February, she sighed as she walked up and down in her room. She had been pacing outside, but her sister had pushed her back to her room, telling her to 'let me know when Umi-san arrives, and stop all that racket."

Her door was knocked twice, and she was worried that Arisa was about to complain about her pacing, when she heard her attendant's voice.

"Princess Eli? Sonoda Umi is here to meet you. She's waiting in the grand hall."

Eli flung the door open, and the attendant flinched. "I'm sorry, you may take your leave, Christina." The other woman bowed and shuffled away hurriedly, her heart still beating rapidly.

"Arisa, Umi is here." Eli knocked on her sister's door, and Arisa burst out in a similar fashion, this time startling Eli.

"Arisa, please slow down."

"That's great! Let's go!" Arisa ignored her sister, and dragged her along.

* * *

Sonoda Umi stood in the now familiar grand hall, holding a wrapped box delicately. She sighed, knowing that her princess had been overworking herself to produce the perfect chocolates for Ayase Eli. Her princess had worked hard, and she hoped that she would eventually confess to Eli one day. She was in no position to act as middleman for this situation.

"Umi-san!" A youthful voice broke her out of her thoughts and she smiled gently at the shorter blonde running towards her.

"Arisa. It is nice to see you again." Umi patted the younger Ayase princess's head, unaware of the blush spreading across Arisa's face. "Eli." Umi turned towards her, and tilted her head towards the box.

"Oh." Eli tried to maintain a pokerface, but the edges of her mouth was already creeping upwards. "Oh."

"Yes." Umi cleared her throat, and Eli received the gift.

"Well." Eli sputtered, and the stalemate carried on, until Arisa broke it.

"Umi-san! Happy Valentine's day!" Arisa brought out a smaller box, and pressed it into Umi's now empty hands. "I – thank you for always looking after my sister and her potential girlfriend!"

"Arisa!" Eli gasped, horrified, but Umi accepted the box calmly.

"No problem, Arisa. Thank you for these. I am very happy. Meanwhile, is there any message you would like to pass to Nozomi, Eli?" Umi looked pointedly at the flustered princess.

"Oh my goodness. You knew. That's why your expression didn't change. Oh my GOODNESS, UMI!" Eli groaned, her face now redder than her sister's.

"Please hurry, Eli. I am due to return to Syringa. Nozomi would want a detailed report of your reaction. The longer I stay, the more I get to tell her."

"This is a betrayal, Umi. Remember this! I. I.. arghh! Just tell her… just tell her I'll definitely give her chocolates sometime in March too, a month from now." Eli blurted out, and would have smacked her face if her hands were not carrying something.

"Stupid sister, don't you have something for Nozomi-san too?" Arisa asked, now no longer that excited.

"Ah. That's right. This." Eli took out a small box.

"You intend to propose to her through me? How shamless." Umi asked, raising her eyebrows and eyeing the box's size, taking it from Eli.

"N-No! I just made her something she could wear… maybe it wouldn't even fit her finger…" Eli muttered, and tried to cover Arisa's mouth.

"Sister has a similar ring too, on her lef-mmph!" Arisa swatted Eli's right hand, but Eli laughed nervously, keeping her grip firm, but not too firm.

"I see. I… this is shameless. Shameless! But as long as my princess is happy." Umi's face was now joining Eli's for a red party. "T.. this message will be properly conveyed. I shall take my leave now."

"UMI DON'T GO YET!" Eli pleaded desperately, but Umi kept the box safely, covered her ears, and started running as Eli's volume increased.

Eli sighed as she looked at her box, and couldn't stop her smile once again when she spotted familiar handwriting.

 _'Happy Valentine's, my Dearest Elicchi. I hope my feelings reach you through these chocolates. Ah, what am I writing? Nevermind, and please enjoy your favourite food, you glutton!_

 _P.S. I Love You, forever and always._

 _Toujou Nozomi'_

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Galanthus is also known as Snowdrop, and also means Hope, Consolation, Faithful in adversity, Expectancy in the language of flowers.**

 **Syringa is also known as Lilac, and it's so pretty when it's purple, isn't it? It's also used to symbolize love, future happiness and memory. I did a little bit of research for the names of the kingdoms since nothing else came to mind.**

If you're curious about Umi, Honoka, Arisa, and Yukiho, they won't really be major characters in the story. Well, not that major anyway.

Do leave a review/feedback if possible! And if you find that the story could be improved, please state where it could be improved, or how! It would be great to know which parts I could work on! Also, if you spot any mistakes, please let me know, since proofreading my own works doesn't seem to work much.


	4. Chapter 3: The Prophet and The Knight

**AN: Oh boy, I'm so glad this finally started moving. Here is the next update to Maki and co's fun adventure. It's not going to be 100% fun tho. In fact, there's going to be a death in this chapter.**

 **I would like to thank Kim and B.O.N for reading this, especialy B.O.N who sat through my lonely live writing.**

 **I would also like to thank my lovely readers, reviewers, and people who favourited this. I hope you enjoy this update!**

* * *

 **The Prophet and the Knight**

* * *

 **1.**

Early in the morning, and already a ruckus in the Dragon's castle. The sun was shining, the birds faraway were chirping, and two people were yelling at each other. What a beautiful morning.

"What, so you just want me to go to my father and go 'Oh, don't worry, I'm living with two princesses AND A DRAGON?!" Maki raised her hands in the air.

"I'm not saying that you have to say I'm a dragon, but it would be nice if this castle would not be stormed by, I don't know, THE WHOLE ROYAL GUARD?" Nico shouted back, and Maki scoffed.

"As if the royal guard would abandon their post for me. I'm just the captain's daughter and possible next captain. Why do I even have to go back? I left for a reason. I don't even really want to be a knight."

"Because, I'm afraid that your father will come after you with troops!" Nico retorted.

"Huh, I should have left quietly, huh?"

"You should have woke me up quietly." Eli glared at the squabbling duo, Nozomi's arm draped around her shoulder. Her hair was very disheveled and there were red marks all over both their necks and trailing down their nightwear.

"Well. Good morning, Eli and Nozomi." Maki cleared her throat.

"You smell like … well, you smell." Nico chided them, and sat back at her seat.

"Well, you know how Nozomi is before she leaves for trips, she gets so…" Eli trailed off and laughed. "Energetic."

"It's just slightly less than a week. Speaking of which, Eli, please ask Maki to go with Nozomi." Nico brought the matter up, and Maki gaped at Nico in horror.

"There was perfectly no reason to bring Eli and Nozomi in!" Maki hissed, and Nico shrugged.

"You see, this castle is our home, and I don't want an army or rescue team barging in." Nico added, and Eli seemed to contemplate the request. Beside her, Nozomi stirred.

"Let me sit down first. I'm feeling hungry." Eli said, and gently let Nozomi lean against her while sitting.

"I'll get you breakfast." Nico dashed to get some eggs, bread, and fruit.

"She's already trying to bribe you." Maki muttered.

"Maki, I'm pretty sure Nico is doing this for your own good too. Your parents must be worried about you. You've been gone for how long, a week or so?"

"2 weeks." Maki mumbled. It was a wonder she had survived the 2 weeks. The first few days, Nico and her were squabbling so much that Eli, with her seemingly never-ending strength, broke part of the wall when she smashed her fist into it. After that, the 10 meter-radius around Eli was always as peaceful as it could be. Nozomi also acted as mediator, a rather efficient one, whenever Nico and Maki herself were dodging each other and shooting insults at each other, since affection was something less easy to spit out. However, she had fitted in rather well, Eli and Nozomi fussing over her very, very much, especially when she had mentioned that Nico would not get any presents from Santa because of her cursing.

Still, having to go back and report her current status to her parents sounded unnecessary, especially when she knew her mother would drag her back to the house and her father would lock the door after that. These few days with the eccentric bunch of fun, accepting people were actually pleasant, and something Maki had greatly enjoyed. But Nico had a point; what if her father, captain of the royal guard, actually sent his best fighters (though no one would best her) to rescue her. Oh, and probably slay the dragon.

Maki shuddered at the image of her father plunging a sword into Nico, the other men slashing the outnumbered dragon. Nah, Nico was strong, wasn't she? But with that many forces… She was not going to take any chances.

"Alright, fine, I'm going." Maki gave in, and Nico heaved a sigh of relief.

"Finally."

"… I figured it'll be bad if any of you got hurt, especially Nico." Maki blurted out, and quickly added, "I mean, b-because she looks like a kid and it's bad if a kid gets hurt, you know?"

Nozomi smirked, and Nico scowled.

"I'm the Dragon, you know."

"There you go again, Nicocchi, getting into role again." Nozomi teased, and Nico snorted some smoke out.

"Nozomi, you should get ready, my shoulder is getting heavier and heavier." Eli whined, and Nozomi giggled.

"Urgh. We might have to postpone the trip if you two start things again." Nico grumbled, and separated the two of them, pulling Nozomi with her.

"Noooooooo!" Eli cried, but sank down into the nearest chair once Nozomi was out of earshot. "thank god, you know, her right hand was actually trying to-"

"I'M NOT INTERESTED, LALALA."

* * *

 **2.**

Maki and Nozomi had set off from the castle, leaving Nico and Eli alone. Maki wondered how those two would get along with each other – heck, she wondered how they had gotten along with each other whenever Nozomi went out. Nico was kind of childish and obnoxiously narcissistic, and Eli seemed so cold and ready to strike fear and discipline into the little brat who was Nico. One was a dragon, one was a surprisingly strong princess who would lose her temper at some time. Maki wondered how the castle would be like when Nozomi and her returned.

"Don't worry, Maki, Nicocchi and Elicchi will be fine. I've left chocolates for Elicchi. And she'll be too tired to do anything after the past few nights." Nozomi grinned bashfully, and Maki cringed. "But just in case, maybe next time you should tire Nico out too."

"N-NOZOMI!" Maki shouted, and hastened her pace.

"I'm sorry, Maki, just couldn't pass that opportunity up." Nozomi started to rummage through her bag, and Maki's eyes widened as Nozomi threw a piece of clothing over her shoulder. "Alright, I've got my disguise set. Do you need a disguise, Maki-chan?"

Maki scowled, and shook her head. "Nozomi, when were you going to tell me that- that."

Nozomi slipped the hood over her head, hiding her hair and eyes.

"-that you're that weird gambler!" Maki groaned. Surely this was too coincidental.

"Oho. I thought you had realized." Nozomi shrugged. "Thank you for saving me time and time again." She curtsied.

"Was that how you always earned money?" Maki frowned, and Nozomi smiled. "It's rather dishonest."

"Oh no, no, I just have a lot of luck." Nozomi giggled. "And experience, probably."

"I can't believe I failed to see it." Maki growled again, her face snuggled in her palms.

Nozomi took out yet another disguise from her bag. "It's alright. In that case, you failed to see through my fortune teller disguise too."

"Fortune teller?" Maki peeked out from her hands.

And she screamed.

* * *

 **3.**

"I still can't believe it." Maki scowled. "You were that fortune teller. This is a huge joke, set to disgrace me."

Nozomi's smile wavered. "Maki-chan, I'm sorry, and that isn't my intention. The fortune telling was not faked in any way. It is one of my many hobbies after all."

"So it was genuine?" Maki kicked a loose pebble as the city gates, tall and imposing, came into view.

"Yes." Nozomi paused. "The cards had predicted you would eventually meet, but I wanted to see what kind of character you were."

Maki snorted.

"Don't get me wrong, but it is hard to tell just from one simple interaction. Your expressions and actions do not always match with your feelings. So I did make my way to your kingdom again and again, in the hopes of being able to assess you." Nozomi turned to Maki. "And I then knew that you were pure, strong-willed, and would definitely clash with Nicocchi."

"That's damn right." Maki muttered at the last bit.

"But at the same time, you are different from Elicchi and I. And you are somewhat similar to Nicocchi. I had hoped the two of you would bond and understand each other. You are also like a diffuser, a neutralizer of some sorts. Nico has never been so flustered and easy to tame."

'Tame, huh?' Maki wondered.

"Elicchi seems extremely protective of you, Nicocchi will fight for you, I assure you, and I myself, I will do anything to make sure all of you are not harmed." Nozomi's voice had dropped to a low whisper, and they reached the gates.

"But why-"

"AH! INFORM THE CAPTAIN! NISHIKINO JUNIOR IS BACK!" The soldiers at the gate shouted, and the other soldiers echoed the announcement.

"Oh boy." Maki slapped her forehead. "I really should have taken up that disguise offer. Or maybe I can put it on after entering."

* * *

 **4.**

There was unfortunately, no opportunity for Maki to slip on any cloak or hood, for the moment they were granted entry, a magnificent grey stallion snorted in their faces.

"Maki!" A veteran knight, captain of the royal knights, to be exact, dismounted and crushed his daughter in a tight hug.

"Erk. P-papa." Maki squeaked, and Nozomi smiled at the touching reunion.

"Maki, are you alright? Where have you been? Your mother and I have been worried sick about you!" Maki's father stood up, and frowned, inspecting his daughter. No physical injuries, that was good.

"I'm fine. I was… adventuring with my…" She looked at Nozomi, who was still hooded. "My friend."

Nishikino Senior looked at the hooded figure, eyebrows narrowing. "I had never expected my daughter to be in the company of such suspicious characters."

"Papa!" Maki protested, as her father's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. He was overly concerned, and overly suspicious.

Nozomi lifted the hood, and let it settle behind her. She smiled politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She curtsied, and the gloved hand withdrew from its pose.

"Of course, there was no way…" Maki's father muttered to himself, and looked at Nozomi once more. "Ah, a pleasure to meet you too. Any friend of Maki, especially one who has kept her safe, is welcome. Perhaps here would not be the best place for conversation." He snapped his fingers, and a knight dismounted his horse quickly. "Thank you, Akio. Maki, and her friend will take your horse back. You can take a walk back, and maybe get something to eat along the way." He tossed a coin at the knight, who saluted and walked away.

"Now, let us be off. We have much to talk about."

* * *

 **5.**

"So… do you think Maki will come back?" Nico asked, pretending to inspect her nails.

Eli sighed, resting her book over her face. "Nico, that's the tenth time you have asked me. Of course she will come back. You guys are like, dependent on each other. You two have some lovey dovey potential romance going on." Eli knew she would not be returning to her book anytime soon. Somehow, whenever Nozomi was gone, she would hardly interact with Nico. But now that Nico was behaving like a puppy waiting for its master to return, Eli had no choice but to follow Nozomi's instructions.

'Take care of Nicocchi, she said. She will be lonely without Maki, she said.' Eli rolled her eyes. 'As if I'm not lonely without you.' Still, she had to try. And who knows how much longer they would all stay together?

"Nico." Nico twitched at her name. "I know we haven't really talked much since we entered the castle. You know, after all, things were a bit tense until Nozomi joined us."

Nico flinched.

"So I think it'll be better if we talk more, get to know each other and what not." Eli laughed. "I know Nozomi's better at this, but how about it?"

No haughty response, no snorting, nothing at all. And the silence was unsettling.

"Nico?" Eli sat up, the book sliding to her chest. "Nico?" The single seat was still warm, but vacant. "Urgh." Eli sighed, and brought the book back up to cover her eyes. "You can't say I didn't try."

* * *

 **6.**

"I tried to, Papa!" Maki protested. "I really did!"

"Now shush, Maki, Toujou is telling us about you." Maki's father said sternly, although the poorly concealed smile revealed his childish glee.

"Do continue, Nozomi-chan." Maki's mama beamed from her seat, and Maki smacked her face onto the table.

"This is the worst…"

"Hmmm, where was I? Oh yes! Maki is rather picky with her food." Nozomi hummed, enjoying this teasing. Maki's parents were surprisingly not as strict as she had predicted them to be.

"It's the tomatoes, isn't it?" Maki's mother sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have eaten so many of them when I was still carrying Maki."

"Mama!" Maki whined.

"It's good to know that you're fine, Maki. We were worried that you would actually look for some dragon to fight." Nishikino Senior folded his arms.

Nozomi smirked as Maki waved her arms frantically. "D-definitely not! That would be unthinkable!"

"Indeed. But now that you're back…" Nishikino Senior huffed. "I hope you'll stay to complete your training."

Maki paled, and gripped the table. "No, papa."

"Is it a boy?" Nishikino Senior closed his eyes and pinched his nosebridge. "What is keeping you from returning home?"

"It's not a boy." Maki gritted her teeth. "I … I like being with Nozomi and the others! I just want to spread my wings and become more independent! It's not as though I am not acknowledging my hometown or my family, I just want a different path!"

"Listen, Maki, if this is about us not wanting you to be a bard-"

"It isn't that. I just – I never really wanted to follow in your footsteps! I never wanted to succeed you as captain of the Royal Knights, I never wanted my choices to be dictated by you! I wanted to do something by myself, instead of following the path that you had paved for me! I know you mean well, but I simply cannot follow it!" Maki panted, and shuddered when her father's eyes snapped open.

Purple eyes met, and burned into each other, both trying to express words that were piled up in their throats.

"I see."

Nozomi looked on, her heart thudding against her ribcage. It had escalated too quickly. Her eyes shifted to Maki's mother, who looked at her apologetically.

The first set of eyes to break away was Maki's father's. A creak was heard when he leaned back into his chair.

"I see." He repeated, and Maki's mother looked at the two girls.

"Maki, perhaps you'd like to bring Nozomi-chan around. Do be back for dinner though."

Nozomi nodded dumbly as Maki dragged her out.

It was a unnervingly quiet walk from the Nishikino's house to the bustling market streets. Maki had refused to say anything, leaving Nozomi to trail behind her in worried silence.

"Grilled meat." Maki suddenly mumbled, and Nozomi felt her stomach growling.

"Maki?"

"Grilled meat. Let's go eat some grilled meat." Maki said, still not turning to face Nozomi. "You – you said you like grilled meat."

Nozomi moved beside Maki. "Yes. Grilled meat is good. If I may be so rude to suggest a side dish?"

Maki tilted her head. "Feel free to."

"Some tomatoes would be nice."

* * *

 **7.**

"So that's how she thinks. She's grown up now." Nishikino Senior cradled his forehead in his hands, and pushed his hair back, sighing deeply. "Was she right to have said we dictated her path too much? All we wanted was the best for her."

Nishikino Kikuko rubbed her husband's shoulders soothingly.

"What happened to my enthusiastic little girl who would jump at every opportunity to spar with anyone? What happened to my little knight who had sworn to best me in a duel, and take my title?" Nishikino Senior seemed to be having a hard time.

Nishikino Kikuko giggled. "Dear, she does take after you in that sense, then."

Nishikino Senior raised his eyebrow. "What does that mean, I don't get it."

Kikuko couldn't hide her amusement, and decided not to torment her husband any longer. "Well, remember that you did come from a family of scholars."

Nishikino Kyou slumped his shoulders, and nodded in defeat. "And I chose to be a knight despite my parents' wishes."

"Your blood runs strong in Maki." Kikuko smiled. "And as parents, we can't really keep on making decisions for her. All we can do is guide her, and be here for her. She won't leave, she will come back."

"You're right." Kyou smiled weakly. "After all, I'd rather she be an adventurer than a bard."

"Kyou!"

* * *

 **8.**

The delicious aroma of meat being cooked in various means had Nozomi salivating while waiting for her order to reach her table. Maki was right, this was the best place to eat, and it was a treat from the apparently rich Nishikino family.

Nozomi felt a small tinge of betrayal - Maki had never mentioned that she was from a fairly well-to-do family. Captain of the royal guards sounded impressive, but the Nishikinos were FILTHY RICH. Even as a princess, Nozomi was amazed at how a captain could be so wealthy. Maki had casually mentioned that their ancestors used to study and compile books, pushing forward new information and eventually earning quite a bit from it. 'Quite a bit' seemed to be a huge understatement. Nevertheless, the rare treat was much appreciated by Nozomi. Ever since she left her own castle, she had been making just enough to live from gambling and fortune telling. And with Eli and Nico to feed, she hardly ate such a luxurious meal. Nico never cooked grilled meat too, complaining of how much fat she would pack.

A loud and enticing sizzling noise brought Nozomi back to reality, and she licked her lips as a small grill was settled on their table. The meat was still rare and waiting to be lifted to her lips.

Opposite her, Maki seemed pleased with her pasta, which was drenched in tomato sauce. The eager, childlike smile that flashed across her face made Nozomi giggle at how cute the girl was.

Nozomi was always the kind to engage in talk over a meal, and she started after savouring the first strip of meat.

"So, Maki-chan, how do you find Nicocchi?"

"Oh, come on, Nozomi, do you have to?" Maki whined, and furiously stuffed her mouth with more food.

"Yes, I have to. But seriously, what do you know about Nico?"

Maki squinted, "hah? Is this about how close I am to her? Because I assure you she has definitely not told me more than she has told you. After all, we have only been together for a few weeks."

"Together, huh?" Nozomi waggled her eyebrows, and Maki flushed red.

"N-no! That wasn't what I meant!" She scowled. "Nico-chan and I are just f-friends."

"You sound disappointed." Nozomi grinned, lifting another slab of meat off the grill.

"I'm not." Maki grunted.

"Fine, maybe I am." The red haired girl relented, and growled. "All Nico-chan cares about is her dragon persona and her fame. It's as though I don't exist. And she was so flustered and busy trying to talk to me for the first few days."

Nozomi paused, wondering if her constant teasing had caused Nico to clam up like that. Oops. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to cut down on her teasing. Perhaps.

"Nicocchi's probably embarrassed."

"What's with that whole persona anyway!" Maki dropped her voice to a hushed grumble, worried that someone might have figured out that a sweet looking, cute girl with twintails would be a menacing dragon. It was a worrying possibility.

"Well, Maki-chan, what do you think of it?"

Maki paused, actually thinking hard. "I can't really tell. It's as though she's trying to be someone entirely different, like she's taking on a responsibility. Like someone who is trying to hide something." Her eyes widened. "Ah, it's kinda like my case… I had to pretend I loved sparring, so I had to behave as such. It doesn't necessarily mean she likes to … become her persona, right?"

Nozomi shrugged, motioning for Maki to continue.

"Ah, I don't know, it seems so presumptuous. She did tell me it was a persona, but I feel kinda bad saying it. It's not that it's a total facade, part of it is still part of her. It's hard to accept at times, but I can't deny it either. But the whole 'I wanna be bad and notorious' thing doesn't seem like her." Maki shook her head. "Not that I know her well."

"I think you know her well enough." Nozomi smiled. "Ah, that reminds me. All of us were gathered to talk that day, right? We were all sharing our stories, and we never got to how Nicocchi and us gathered here. Well, not properly anyway." She tapped the now empty grill, searching for pieces of meat.

Maki took a sip of water. "I kinda know, Nico-chan did tell me."

"Oh?" Nozomi stopped her scavenging, and propped one elbow up to listen carefully.

"Well, Nico-chan said you know, so I guess it's fine to repeat what she said." Despite that, Maki bit her lip before speaking.

"Eli kinda… well, Nico kinda brought Eli to the castle first, right? They were both escaping or something. Nico didn't really want to talk much about it, just that they met and fled. Then you met them and things weren't so tense after that."

Nozomi nodded.

"And Nico-chan also said that you and Eli wrote letters to each other before you met, so when you met, it was like some disgustingly mushy reunion. She said it made her retch."

"Ah, that's what Nicocchi thinks? I've got to punish her when we get back." Nozomi chuckled.

"Speaking of which… I'm not sure how early we'll get to go back, look at my overbearing parents." Maki brought up, and Nozomi hummed.

"I'm sure we'll convince your parents." Nozomi finished her water, and stretched. "Now, let's get going. The sooner we get all we need, the sooner we can go back."

* * *

 **9.**

"It's been five days…" Nico mumbled, huffing a breath of fire unknowingly.

"Ow! Damn! Nico, watch it!" Eli snarled, patting the end of her singed hair, and had to calm herself down. With Nozomi gone, there was no source of calmness and serenity around the castle. Maki was also gone, and Eli had to admit that the youngest of their group was like a magnet to Nico. Both would repel each other and attract each other, fighting and eventually cuddling secretly (Eli had quickly and quietly retreated). Nico was always moving about, and seeing her so calm with Maki was a refreshing change. However, with both of their partners gone, they were now reduced to anxious, antsy, insecure young adults, waiting for their buttons to be pushed so they could finally snap and destroy everything around them.

Eli had a knack for ruining things spectacularly, whether it was furniture, buildings, hearts, or lives.

Nico was a dragon. Nothing more needed to be said.

And the only time they had been together, alone, for more than a week…

Eli shook her head. That was before Nozomi arrived, and things were pretty desperate. If Nozomi hadn't arrived, who knows what might have happened.

And for the past few days, Eli had been trying. She really had. Making small talk with Nico, trying to get to know her, trying to interact, but Nico had either left without any warning, or ignored Eli as she stomped to her room. Eli had no idea why Nico was being such a bitch, and she was tired of trying. Nozomi had always been better at talking to people. And Eli? She was a terrible person whose fists were more impactful than her words, and she learnt that the hard was unexpectedly cruel, asking her to try to be strong, to talk to Nico, who would be lonely. Did Nozomi not realise how lonely and afraid she was now?

"They'll definitely come back, so stop burning things." Eli snapped suddenly, and clenched her fists when she realised how rude she sounded. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"Whatever, I'm not the one leaving holes in the walls." Nico shot back, and stood up. "I'm going to stretch my wings."

"You can't possibly do that! Nozomi told us to lie low!"

"Well, f-" Nico bit her tongue, possibly averting a crisis. "thuck, my thon! Thuck thith!"

Eli stared apathetically as Nico slammed a door, heading up to her room. Eli groaned and swung her fist into the wall, creating a dent similar to many scattered around the castle. It was just a matter of time. Would Maki and Nozomi reach the castle before Nico and her broke everything apart?

* * *

 **10.**

Nozomi felt a prickle run from the top of her head, surging through her veins and arteries before it ended in a short jolt at her toes.

"Nozomi, are you alright?" Maki asked, wondering why her friend had stopped in the middle of a busy street.

"Ah, yes. I'm fine." Nozomi put on a smile. "We are getting chocolates for Elicchi, right?"

Maki nodded, clutching a bag of sweets. They were her favourite - rock-hard candies splashed with vibrant colours, indicating their various flavours. Bright red for strawberries, a darker red for cherries, green for apples, yellow for tangy lemons, orange for the fruit of the same colour,purple grapes, dark blue for blueberries, and the sweetest peach candies were a light pink.

"Do you think Nico will like these?" Maki asked nervously. Sure, they were her childhood favourite, but giving these to Nico… wasn't it implying she was a child? She already had that height complex…

"She will absolutely adore them. Nicocchi has always had a sweet tooth. And she likes cute things."

"T-that's great!" Maki beamed, and Nozomi grinned.

"She likes you a great deal more than Elicchi and I after all."

"N-Nozomi! Let's hurry up! Papa did say he wanted us to go back before the sky turned dark!"

"No worries, your face will light up the darkness, with that incredibly beautiful red hue." Nozomi poked Maki on the cheek, before skipping off ahead, her smile dropping.

"It's happening again, huh?" She whispered, before Maki caught up to her and pushed her into the next store.

* * *

 **11.**

Nozomi and Maki had stumbled back into the Nishikino's house, hands full of gifts and groceries.

"Thank you both." Kikuko smiled, and tried to reduce their load, but Maki had turned to her side, refusing to let her mother tire herself out even more.

"I'll put these down." Maki insisted.

"You're leaving soon, and you won't even allow your poor mother to help you out." Kikuko sighed. "My dear Maki is really growing up."

"Mama!"

"I can't believe you're going to be an adventurer." Nishikino Kyou repeated his default greeting ever since Maki's return with Nozomi.

"I can't believe you're still on that issue." Maki muttered under her breath. After that day's lunch with Nozomi, they had returned back with uncertainty, but Kikuko's smile had relieved them of that gnawing guilt and fear. Maki was allowed to be an adventurer, but the condition was that she had to return to Otonokizaka at least every three months. It was a fair deal, considering the fact that Maki wasn't really adventuring, but free-loading at an abandoned castle.

"I can't believe we're all not trying my cooking!" Kikuko added, and Maki shot up of her seat.

"I smell tomato soup!"

"She's going to get tomato poisoning one day, I swear." Nozomi joked, but Kyou turned towards her.

"Please make sure she cuts down on her intake of tomatoes. Nothing is good in excessive amounts after all."

Nozomi nodded. As intimidating as Maki's father seemed, he was actually just like his daughter - stoic and frightening at first, but actually a nice person. Kikuko was also an interesting mother, supportive and like her daughter, easily flustered at times. Maki sure was their child. And this familial warmth was something Nozomi missed dearly.

"Nozomi-chan, would you like to stay for tomorrow's lunch too?" Kikuko called out.

They had planned to leave in the morning, but surely it wouldn't hurt to stay a little longer. She could afford to be selfish this time. She smiled and headed towards the dining table.

"I would love to."

* * *

 **12.**

It had been a great idea to stay for lunch - Kikuko and Kyou had decided to cook meat for lunch, and Nozomi was treated to good food and embarrassing stories of Maki as a child. Apparently young Maki got stuck in a stocking for two Christmases straight, while waiting for Santa. Young Maki had also swung her practice sword and struck an unsuspecting guard in the crotch. Young Maki had smiled a lot, and that was something Kikuko admitted that she missed. Young Maki had also always run to Kikuko and snuggled in her lap, being overly affectionate with her parents.

Maki had smacked her head against the table when all her past achievements were narrated in detail to Nozomi.

And when they had to leave, Kyou had offered a horse for their journey, and insisted that they would be safer if he went along. Nozomi had to hold back her laughter, and Kikuko had to hold her husband back. Maki had formally bade farewell to her parents, so Nozomi followed suit. What she did not expect was to be caught in a tight embrace by both Kikuko and Kyou, and she had let out a squeal of surprise, which did not go unnoticed by Maki.

As they walked along the familiar path back, their shoulders heavy with gifts and food, their footsteps were light. The comfortable silence was broken by Maki, who had decided to get her revenge on Nozomi.

"That was quite the sound you made." She grinned, and Nozomi blushed.

Of course, Nozomi was not about to be outdone by a complete amateur.

"I'm pretty sure that's nothing compared to what Elicchi has heard." A dizzy, happy feeling burst from her heart as Eli's name left her lips. "I want to see her soon."

"I want to see Nico-chan too." Maki admitted, the bag of sweets tucked safely under her arm.

"Aww, you're becoming more honest with your feelings! Maki-chan, that's great!" Nozomi cheered. "I hope they haven't wrecked the castle too much." She joked, but froze when the outline of the castle came into view.

The castle - or what was left of it, was black, burnt and smoldered. The formerly grey bricks had their numbers cut in half, the towers no longer standing.

"No…" Nozomi gasped, and beside her, Maki dropped everything. Most of the sweets rolled out, shattering upon hitting the ground.

"NICO-CHAN!" Maki screamed, her wobbly legs moving and pumping forward, faster, faster, faster.

Nozomi snapped out of it and followed Maki, her first step crushing the blueberry and peach flavoured sweets in front of her.

"Maki-chan!" She shouted, trying to keep up with the former knight.

Maki's feet kicked against the ground, the force carrying her forward, forward, nearer to the castle, nearer to

"NICO-CHAN!" She pleaded desperately, before her knees gave way and she tumbled down, her arms scratching against the pebbles and twigs that littered the dirt path. She winced, and got up shakily, before Nozomi pressed a palm on her shoulders.

"Maki-chan. I'm so sorry."

"It isn't your fault, Nozomi, w-we have to go get them, they can be safe, they should be."

"Maki-chan."

"They have to be safe, they must!" Maki struggled, but yelped as a sharp pain spread from her ankle.

"Maki!" Nozomi turned the girl towards her.

"I can… I can still move." Maki inhaled, and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Maki…" Nozomi placed a hand at the girl's hip.

"I can move…" Maki sobbed, and opened her eyes when Nozomi tugged onto her shirt.

Sad, resigned green eyes that were so, so tired met hers, and she backed away when she saw Nozomi holding her sword.

"I'm sorry, Maki."

"N-nozomi?" Maki felt her vision getting blurry, hot tears stinging her eyes.

"Maki. You have to kill me."

"I don't understand" Maki whispered hoarsely.

"Maki, trust me. Look at me." Nozomi's voice too, was barely audible.

Confused purple met determined green, from which tears were flowing from.

"I don't get it." Maki repeated.

"You don't have to." Nozomi turned the sword, holding it's sharp blade. Her hands were already leaking red, and she positioned the hilt at Maki's direction.

"Just take the hilt."

"You don't h-have to end your life like this, j-just because of this." Maki stammered, shaking her head.

"It isn't what you think. Maki, trust me." Nozomi pushed the blade towards her chest. "I told you I would do anything to keep all of you safe."

"I can't!" Maki wailed. "I don't even know what has happened to Nico-chan or Eli, and I can't just do this! I can't lose you!"

"I can't lose all of you." Nozomi pushed the blade towards her chest, and Maki grabbed the grip instinctively, ready to pull it free from Nozomi's grasp.

A sickening squelch was heard as Nozomi leaned completely forward.

Maki screamed, a suffocating coldness filling her chest. Her hands let go immediately, but the sword stayed where it was.

"I won't lose all of you." Nozomi wheezed, and everything went black.

* * *

 **End of The Prophet and The Knight**

* * *

 **AN: Ha. haha. hahaha. *screams at my laptop* I'm sorry that the emotions just vwooshed down and got sucked into hell. I've kinda been hinting what will happen next, so hold onto your butts. Thank you all for reading!**

 **Funfact: Nishikino Mama's voice actress is Inoue Kikuko, hence the name chosen for Nishikino Mama in this fic. As for Kyou, kyou refers to 'club' in the '17-year old club' she started.**

 **Also, I realised if you read on mobile, the line breaks are not present, so I have added numerals as well, to signify line breaks.**

 **I'll answer a few reviews here:  
**

 **madokakanames - oh yes, it is an unhealthy relationship, I guarantee. Simply put, without Nozomi around as a voice of reason, the lion known as Eli and the Dragon will end up fighting. Eli is trying, but... hoho, Nico seems to be resisting a great deal. I wonder why~**

 **zurui yo: Yes, the senpai trio frienship can exceed warm and being... burning hot at times though.**

 **KHShay: Maki will be anything she wants to be. She still wants to be a bard. But right now she probably wants to just relax and enjoy with her newly found friends.**


	5. Chapter 4: Déjà vu

**Next chapter of A Knight's Prophecy!**

 **Warning: mention of death**

 **Summary: remember what happened in the previous chapter? Yeah it's going to happen again.**

* * *

 **Déjà vu**

* * *

 _Déjà vu: a feeling of having already experienced the present situation._

* * *

"Nozomi, are you alright?"

Nozomi blinked, and took a deep breath before putting on a smile.

"I'm fine. Come on, let's go get Elicchi's chocolates and everything else. We can't afford to set off late tomorrow."

Maki nodded, a brown paper bag of colourful sweets nestled in her arm.

"Do you think Nico will like these?"

Nozomi had to hold back a cry as the memory of an utterly devastated Maki came back to her mind. She forced her smile to stay as she spoke.

"She will absolutely adore them. Nicocchi has always had a sweet tooth. And she likes cute things."

"T-that's great!"

"She likes you a great deal more than Elicchi and I after all."

"N-Nozomi! Let's hurry up! Papa did say he wanted us to go back before the sky turned dark!"

"No worries, your face will light up the darkness, with that incredibly beautiful red hue." Nozomi poked Maki on the cheek, before skipping off ahead, making sure her tears were wiped away before Maki pushed her into the next store.

* * *

Nozomi and Maki had entered the Nishikino residence with a lighter load than expected. Nozomi had insisted on buying less items, all the while looking at the fading sunlight. Maki had shrugged it off, thinking Nozomi was just lonely without Eli.

"Mama, we're back." Maki announced, and her mother appeared, stretching out her hand to relieve the girls of their load.

"No, Mama, I'm going to put these down. You already cooked, so just rest." Maki insisted, and Kikuko scowled.

"You're leaving soon, and you won't even allow your poor mother to help you out." Kikuko sighed. "My dear Maki is really growing up."

"Mama!"

"I can't believe you're going to be an adventurer." Nishikino Kyou repeated his default greeting ever since Maki's return with Nozomi.

"I can't believe-" Maki turned to Nozomi, who was still at the entrance, a vacant expression etched on her face. "Nozomi, are you alright?" Maki approached her friend, who blinked rapidly, and put on her usual smile.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired."

Maki frowned, but Kikuko spoke first.

"Nozomi-chan, are you tired?"

"Perhaps. Walking around in the city is so fun, and I seem to have used up much of my energy in that excitement."

"Oh dear, then we should have dinner soon so that you can rest earlier." Kikuko went to the kitchen, and her husband eyed the two girls from his seat.

"I would recognise that look, I've seen it before. You're worrying about something, are you not?" Kyou sighed, and Nozomi shook her head. "No use denying it, I've seen many soldiers react the same way. I've seen many spouses, partners, family members with this behaviour. Homesickness. Worry. I shall not press you more, but if you have urgent matters to attend to, if you have somewhere you need to be, you don't have to stay."

"Papa!" Maki hissed. "Are you trying to chase Nozomi away?"

Kyou ignored his daughter for once, eyes locking onto Nozomi's. "It isn't an obligation to stay, you know." He looked towards the kitchen. "Maki's mother is fond of cooking more, so she enjoys company. The more guests over, the more she can cook, and the more praises she receives. Don't feel pressured." He nodded with a stiff smile, possibly the best her could muster, and Nishikino Kikuko stepped out.

"Dinner is ready!"

Maki was about to confront her father, but the familiar and very distracting aroma turned her attention towards the table, where a pot, some meat and potatoes were waiting.

"Tomato soup!" She exclaimed, and rushed to the table, forgetting her other concerns. Priorities, after all.

Nozomi sat herself down at the table too, but halfway through her small serving, she looked up at her hosts.

"I have to go."

"All of a sudden?" Kikuko looked towards her husband, who continued his meal unperturbed.

"It… it's urgent." Nozomi bit her lip.

"If you have to return, then you should. It's quite a shame, but we hope to see you soon." Kikuko smiled, and Maki slammed both hands against the table.

Furious amethyst eyes locked onto emerald ones.

"Correction, we have to go."

* * *

"What was that about?!" Maki growled, clutching onto the reins of her borrowed horse. Nozomi had packed hastily, and accepted Kyou's offer of two horses to shorten their trip back.

"…just a premonition." Nozomi stared ahead, the merriment in her eyes no longer present.

"Nozomi!"

"Elicchi and Nicocchi can fight for a long time before there's a victor. We might make it." Nozomi urged her horse faster, and the black stallion surged past its grey counterpart.

"What? What do you mean fight? And how do you know?" Maki caught up to Nozomi, but this time, the princess shook her head.

"I'll tell you later."

The castle came into view, still as dreary as ever, but nothing had changed. Nozomi still could not find herself able to breathe properly. As she charged down the road, she did not notice Maki pulling to a halt.

She continued in, abandoning her horse the moment they entered the tower, and ran towards the stairs, throwing aside anything that hindered her movement. She climbed higher, and flung the doors open to the main room before falling down.

In front of her, as she had expected, wings had sprouted out from Nico's back, and the charred walls proved that they had indeed started a scuffle. And her job was far from done. She had experienced this so many times, she knew that even if she reached in time, the same destruction could occur without the proper intervention.

Her eyes darted around for Eli. 'Elicchi first, then Nicocchi.' She reminded herself, and desperately prayed for blond to appear.

Nico had let out a roar, and her dragon form was starting to become more obvious. Black scales lined her arms and jawline, while her nails sharpened and turned into claws. She could not move as swiftly as she usually did during the transformation, and Ayase Eli took this opportunity to jump out form her hiding place, and deliver a swift punch to Nico. The dragon girl dodged, and flicked her tail at Eli, whipping her face and leaving a red line.

"Elicchi, stop!" Nozomi cried out, but Nico had extended her wings suddenly, knocking Nozomi back.

Even in her enraged state, Eli seemed to notice the harm done to Nico, and pivoted on her left foot, her right foot swinging, and landing a solid strike to Nico's ribcage. The dragon girl stumbled, and let out a howl, before swinging back and letting out a stream of fire. A few sparks races across her spine, and she growled, eyes flashing a brighter red.

"Elicchi!" Nozomi watched in horror as the flames licked the blonde. She got up, and tackled the blonde down.

"Elicchi, I'm fine! Please, snap out of it! Elicchi!" Nozomi hugged Eli tightly, and winced as the blonde struggled fiercely against her hold.

"What the hell is going on?!"

The dragon girl turned, and her slitted eyes fixed on the newcomer. She was oddly familiar, but she could be as dangerous as the blonde. Already, her hand was on the hilt of her sword. She roared again, and the scales shimmered and spread, the small fireballs now smothered by them, letting out a dusty grew smoke around her body. She hardly transformed into this form; she hated it. It was powerful, impervious to flames, ice, metal, mostly anything, but the price to pay for that invincibility was equally high. She couldn't move until the transformation was complete, or she would collapse from the sheer pain and exhaustion. The scales dug into her skin, drawing blood, and her claws jerked back into her cuticles, staining the grey with red. This transformation was far from pleasant, and the dragon girl let out a guttural cry.

"Ni-nico?" Maki approached the girl.

"Maki!" Nozomi yelled, her arms still around Eli, who was struggling much less now. "Stop Nicocchi!"

"How do I stop her?!" Maki yelled back, but looked at the girl in front of her. She might look like half a monster, but she was suffering. Even though her nostrils flared and her red eyes threatened to rip her apart, Maki knew that the girl in front of her was in pain. It reminded her of herself when she was younger. And so she acted on instinct, and slapped the girl. The smoke emitted by the dragon girl was a clear sign that beneath those scales, the tiny spheres of red hot anger were still dancing all over Nico. Maki's hand stung, but she ignored the pain.

"Nico-chan! You can hear me, right?! Well, I know you can. Stop throwing this tantrum already!"

Not a wise move, apparently, as the dragon girl tried to snap at Maki, but the transformation had yet to reach her jaw, and that action had caused more scales to pierce deeper into her own flesh. The blood trickling down Nico's face alarmed Maki, who cursed herself for her rash act. But she didn't want to see Nico in this state. She wanted to stop her. She wanted the old Nico back. And nothing, nothing would stop her from helping Nico.

Nico snarled, and spewed a weak snort of embers which extinguished themselves before Maki's face.

The dragon's red eyes closed for a moment, and in that short moment, Maki had pulled Nico's head close to her chest.

"I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you hurting yourself anymore. You're going to hurt yourself more than anyone if you continue. Please. Nico-chan, please."

Nico couldn't move at all, even though she knew that there was anger flaring up inside of her, and felt the scales retracting. It was a nostalgic touch. A hold promising safety, warmth, and comfort.

By the time Maki had stopped crying, Nico was leaning against her, bleeding and unconscious.

* * *

While the two were resting in different rooms, Nozomi and Maki took the time to clean up the mess.

Maki was still shocked, and she didn't notice that she had cleaned the same wall three times.

Nozomi had been the one to instruct her to immerse her hand in cool water, and Maki had done it in a daze, following Nozomi's further instructions to carry Nico and Eli to their beds.

"Maki-chan." It was a small whisper, but Maki heard it. "Thank you."

"What was that all about?" Maki demanded, and her irritation got the better of her. "Why won't you tell me anything? How did you know that they would be fighting? Why were they fighting? And…"

Nozomi put the broom down.

"And this sounds stupid, but I was so afraid you'd die too. I was so afraid, because when we were reaching the castle, I felt as though you would die at the very spot I was at. It's so stupid, isn't it?"

Nozomi pondered for a moment. The very same spot? Could it be…

"Maki-chan, have you ever heard of the term Déjà vu?"

"I believe so." Maki stopped cleaning and leaned against the wall. "What does that have to do with anything though?"

Nozomi closed the distance between the both of them, and Maki gulped.

"What does it mean to you?"

Red eyebrows furrowed, and the wet cloth creased in Maki's hand. "The feeling that something has happened before."

"Exactly. You're going to think that I'm crazy, but… like you said, you felt as though … something ominous had happened, right?" Nozomi observed Maki's eyebrows, which were sinking deeper.

"It did feel like that, as though it was a far-off dream. That something bad had happened to you there. I felt as though I had killed you, but you were racing in front of me, so.. that was stupid, please ignore that." Maki turned back to the wall, but Nozomi pulled her back.

"It isn't stupid, Maki. It isn't. People who experienced Déjà vu are lucky because they get to relive an incident only once."

Purple eyes stared at emerald ones in confusion.

"You weren't wrong. And perhaps your intuition is greater than you know." Nozomi held onto Maki's shoulders, and the knight blinked.

"This is going to sound crazy, but you were right. Something ominous happened there, Maki. You killed me there."

Maki laughed, shaking her head. "How can I have killed you if you are here, alive and well enough to joke about that? I know you have a great sense of humour, but this is a distasteful joke. Especially with what has just transpired." She shrugged herself free of Nozomi's clutches. "Stop joking around. If you don't want to tell me the truth, you didn't have to resort to lying."

"Nishikino Maki, I am not lying."

Hearing Nozomi's sombre tone, Maki whirled around again. There was not a single trace of happiness on Nozomi's face.

"Are you listening now? Good. Tell me, what exactly did you feel before we entered the castle, and where?"

Maki closed her eyes, trying to recall the exact moment -

"Near a slope downwards, I… I was on my horse, and my hands trembled. And… I just felt scared and alone in that instant."

Nozomi nodded. "As though you had lost everything and everyone?"

"...Yes."

"And I had abandoned you?"

"Yes, but I knew that you went on ahead because-"

"Focus on how you felt then, Maki."

"It felt… as though I had done something wrong, and I tried to stop it but I failed. And my hands couldn't stop shaking for a while." Maki admitted.

"Maki, do you believe in reincarnation?"

"You mean, that spiritual mumbo jumbo about being reborn in a new body?" Maki shrugged. "I don't really have a stance on it."

"Good. I hope you are open-minded. Please don't run away this time." Nozomi inched closer to the red haired girl.

"What you experienced as Déjà vu, was what I had gone through in the past. And I know exactly what had happened then."

Maki bit her tongue, knowing to keep her skepticism to herself for now.

"It is indeed unbelievable, but I can somewhat traverse time."

"You're a time traveller?" Maki squeaked, and the cloth landed on the floor with a wet 'squish'.

"I can only go backwards. And for the travel to take place, a sacrifice must be made." Nozomi's mouth turned up at the corners slightly. "But I return to a specific point with all my memories intact."

"Wait, wait." Maki leaned against the wall, her right hand covering her eyes, a headache forming as she decided to play along this time. "If this is indeed true, then… did you bring forward our departure to arrive back here in time to stop this fight?"

"Yes." came the simple reply.

"And … in the past that you had experienced, we arrived too late, and…"

"Yes."

"I need a moment here." Maki slumped down on the ground, curling her knees to her chin. It wasn't entirely unbelievable, given the fact that she now knew the existence of a girl who could turn into a dragon. What was next? Eli being an ogre in disguise? Was she herself going to grow fairy wings? She shook her head at how she managed to almost believe that (she was too big to have fairy wings after all.) , and glanced back up at Nozomi.

"What did you do to change things? To travel through time?" She dreaded the answer, but anticipated the grim reality.

"I have to die. And experience the slow agony of death, right up to the last breath, to the last drop of blood that courses in my body." Nozomi seemed unfazed, but Maki's face paled.

"How.. how many times?"

Nozomi tilted her head up, "I'm not sure. I lost count somewhere. You're taking this better than I had expected."

"Well, Santa, an old man who flies around on a sleigh driven by reindeer is real, a girl who can turn into a dragon is real, everything isn't that hard to believe when you think about it."

It was Nozomi's turn to bit her tongue. "Apart from that, Elicchi and Nicocchi both have problems that they need to solve. It's not my place to intervene."

"It's not my place to intervene either." Maki stated.

"I'm not saying we have to intervene, but it'll be nice to have someone to keep them in check. When I first met them, Elicchi and Nicocchi had some unpleasant tension building up between them. And while I can click with Elicchi, Nicocchi doesn't seem that receptive to my approaches."

"What exactly caused them to be like that? I don't see tension when they aren't alone." Maki's eyebrows raised. "Are they - were they l-"

"Maki-chan!" Nozomi gasped, a distraught expression scarring her face. "Never!"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Let's just say… they have a bit of bad blood between them." Nozomi joined Maki on the floor, despite the fact that there were unbroken chairs around.

"Shouldn't they try to solve it as soon as possible then?" Maki asked and Nozomi hesitated, her mouth slightly open as the words fought their way to her tongue.

"I… it's complicated." Nozomi sighed. "I don't know if I should tell you about it. Perhaps later." Nozomi stood up and dusted her travelling pants that she had yet to change out of.

"Nozomi!" Maki stood up, nearly toppling over. She still had so many questions. Her head was pounding, and with the recent fight, her confusion was multiplied. There was no friendly, energetic reply.

"We should check on them first." Nozomi walked towards the rooms without looking back.

'I guess things will come at the right time.' Maki followed Nozomi, but split off to the room Nico was temporarily resting in. Her fingers trailed along the stone walls, a habit she had acquired while trying to memorise the many paths.

The forgotten cloth flopped down with a final squelch.

* * *

Nico was lying down when Maki stepped in, but she doubted the girl was still asleep.

"Nico-chan." Maki whispered, and sat right beside her, the bed sinking in with her added weight.

Her hand reached out to touch Nico's shoulder, willing the shorter girl to at least acknowledge her presence instead of keeping her back towards her.

"I don't want to talk now, Maki." a silent, subdued voice, one that Maki was not used to. In all her interactions with Nico, the black haired girl had always used a slightly arrogant tone, and for it to disappear suddenly truly frightened and worried Maki.

But then again, if she herself were to lose control and turn into a… a panther or some other creature that could be dangerous, she would be reluctant to talk to anyone. Just imagining herself losing control and hurting Nico left an uncomfortable knot in her throat.

'No, I'm here to check on Nico-chan.' Maki reminded herself, and steeled her resolve.

"Then let's not."

Instead, Maki threw off her boots, and despite Nico's muffled protest, slipped herself under the covers, her body touching Nico's.

"What are you doing?" Nico hissed, but her voice broke at the last word. Maki felt her huddle up, curling herself into a ball.

"I'm…" Maki shrugged, and lay on her side as well, still disappointed that she could not see Nico's face. "My mother used to do this to me when I had nightmares." She then used her left hand to stroke Nico's hair, a rhythmic action, starting from the top of Nico's head, down to her shoulders before repeating the pattern.

"...But I'm the nightmare here."

Again, she sounded so scared, so ashamed, and Maki leaned a little more towards Nico, her right hand sliding under Nico's neck to meet her left hand, forming a protective cradle around Nico.

"Even your hand, it's proof of that." Nico muttered, stubbornly keeping her limbs as close to her own body as possible.

"You're not a nightmare, Nico-chan." Maki sniffed, and let her eyes search Nico's bare arms for any sign of injury. The previous marks inflicted from her transformation had mysteriously vanished. Still, the emotional marks must have stayed.

"Maki, you're too kind." Nico sighed, and felt exhaustion overtaking her body, her eyebrows furrowed as the sounds of Maki's inconsistent breaths and hushed sobs lulled her to sleep once again.

* * *

When the first rays of the sun entered the room, Maki found herself moving from the bed. The whole night and early morning, her eyelids had closed briefly, before the fear of Nico disappearing jerked her awake again.

She was tired, her body ached, and she was certain her eyes were puffy. She shuffled across the floor, turning back to look at Nico once more.

'She's sleeping,' Maki thought, and shook her head, trying to clear any doubts that the girl would not stay. She sluggishly dragged her body towards the nearest toilet to freshen up.

"Oh, Maki-chan. Good morning." Nozomi greeted with a slightly damp face, towel still in her hands. "You look as though you did not sleep a wink."

"I didn't." Maki groaned, and slapped her cheeks lightly. "Can I talk to you?"

"Over breakfast, maybe." Nozomi nodded.

"Is Eli still asleep?"

"Yes. Nico should be too. They tend to sleep in after fighting. It does drain one's energy." Nozomi chuckled, but stopped when Maki didn't laugh along. "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be." Maki tapped her finger against the stone wall.

"I'll see you at the breakfast table." Nozomi patted Maki on the shoulder, and walked off.

* * *

Although it was a castle, or once a castle, there were no servants to help Maki get water. She cranked a handle of the water pump, and watched as water splashed from a pipe into the steel basin.

She wondered if the cool water would help her puffy eyes.

This was not the adventure she had hoped for. She had come here to the castle initially to slay a dragon, but ended up befriending it and the two princesses who had escaped their countries. As Maki wiped her face, she wondered if Nozomi and Eli had eloped. Princesses still dealt with arranged marriages after all.

She wondered why they didn't run from Nico when they met her

She wondered why she herself did not run from Nico either.

She dried her face and walked out, her feet leaving a wet trail behind her.

She wasn't hungry, but she found herself at the kitchen, watching Nozomi whip up a simple breakfast of eggs and bread.

"Ah, Maki-chan."

'Over breakfast.' Maki reminded herself and nodded instead of opening her mouth.

"Breakfast will be ready soon, please pass me two plates."

"Two?" Maki asked and retrieved two clean plates.

"Yes." Nozomi slid the eggs over. "Elicchi and Nicocchi will only be up around noon." She put the pan down and brought the bread over to the table. "Shall we?"

Maki gulped, and carried both plates over. She watched as Nozomi started eating, her own plate of food untouched.

"Are you not hungry?"

"I don't think I am. I have too many questions."

"Then let me answer them." Nozomi put her fork down, and locked eyes with Maki.

"Alright then, thank you." Maki pushed her plate away. "You said you could …. Time travel? Return to the past? How exactly does it happen?"

Nozomi frowned, trying to find the words to explain it. If only she could share sensations instead of having to dissect the whole experience…

"I can feel a tingle, a vibe, which warns me that should anything foul occur after that feeling, I will be able to return to the point I felt the tingle. And as you know, I do have to be killed to return to that time."

"It's like you're being reincarnated."

"I guess so. But with my memories intact. And with the awareness that I had to take my own life to turn back time. Knowing what lies ahead of me allows me to deal with it, or at least evade it."

Maki reached for a glass of water.

"What if you fail to change the outcome?"

Nozomi's smile was lifeless and bitter. "I simply die again and try every single method I can think of to change it. There have been times I have had to memorize pitfalls and traps, places where robbers hid."

Maki paled, and she put her cup down, spilling some water as she trembled. "And you can feel everything. You know how it feels to die."

Nozomi nodded. "It hurt a lot at first, so much that I woke up crying, but after a while, I got used to it. It still hurts, but I know that I have a second chance to change things."

"When did you realise you had this ability?"

Nozomi shook her head. "Maki-chan, I suggest you use your time to ask more relevant questions. Unlike me, you cannot turn time back."

"Alright then." Maki turned the cup slowly, thinking hard of what to ask. "What happened when they fought the last time?"

"The last time? I didn't stick around to find out. I don't think I would be able to take the sight again. But before that, either had died."

"Who?" Maki froze, and the cup spun out of her grip, water sloshing onto the table before the cup joined it.

"Both had their turns." Nozomi sighed. "I have stayed to hear their stories on more than one occasion. Trust me when I say they do have a reason to fight each other. I can't say that either of them deserves to die, but it is hard to defend them either."

"That sounds complicated."

"It is. I have a feeling you have to know about them, but not now."

Maki bit her tongue. "Alright. Why… why are you three living together? Did Eli and you elope?"

Nozomi giggled at the last question. "Well, has it not been mentioned? Elicchi and I are under Nicocchi's protection, and Nicocchi gets to be popular, or notorious. It is mutually beneficial."

"Oh." Maki mumbled, and wondered in what way was her addition benefitting the rest of them.

"I won't say that Elicchi and I eloped, but yes, I left my kingdom for her. My kingdom should be doing fine, I have a feeling it is."

"What about Eli's?"

Nozomi's eyes moved towards her half-eaten bread roll. "It is no more. I suggest you never bring up this matter in front of Elicchi or Nicocchi."

Maki's silence prompted Nozomi to break it.

"But eloping does sound romantic. I would say our current status could be referred to as such."

Nozomi's playful tone was back, and Maki took it as a signal that the serious conversation was over. It was fine. She had gotten enough answers for now.

What she could not fully comprehend was how Nozomi was not broken yet. Most soldiers she had seen, especially old veterans like her father's mentor were all exhausted, and like Nozomi, they had a sense of resignation, yet Nozomi continued on. Some old soldiers had told stories of their comrades dying in battle, and those close to them died soon after, out of battle. Their hearts and minds were unable to take the stress and guilt.

And although death did not take the rest, it haunted them.

For Nozomi, whom death had taken so many times, shouldn't it be more tiring? How strong was her heart, how determined was she? How did she manage to willingly throw herself at death despite knowing how painful its embrace was?

She took one last look at the girl still seated at the table, and wondered if her shoulders really were able to bear that much weight.

She clenched her fists.

"I'm going to take that weight off your shoulders, Nozomi. I swear."

Nozomi blinked.

The slight smile decorated with two rivulets she presented to Maki nearly made the younger girl weep as well.

"Thank you, Maki-chan."

* * *

AN: Haha has it been eight months? oops. Work has swamped me so much that I have apparently lost track of time. I love the AKP au too much to drop it. I wish I could turn back time too. I will definitely finish it. Please be patient until then orz

Also, some of my friends have pointed out that AKP has similarities to Re:Zero and Saike mata shitemo but my inspiration for Nozomi was PMMM, and also UQ holder.


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